Autism Speaks is working with Google on what it says is the world's largest database of whole genomes from people with autism spectrum disorder and their relatives.
The research and advocacy group is planning to include genomes from 10,000 people in the database, according to The Verge. The group has already completed sequencing of 1,000 of these people.
Autism Speaks is looking to use the database to understand the causes of autism, along with subtypes, treatments, and diagnosis of it. The group added that the facility would be an "open resource."
"The [Autism Speaks Ten Thousand Genomes Program] holds the potential to radically transform our understanding of autism and redefine the future of medical care for those affected by the disorder," said Rob Ring, chief science officer of Autism Speaks. "Working with Google is a game-changer in this story."
Google introduced Google Genomics in February to respond to the growing difficulty of storing, analyzing and interpreting data for scientific research, USA Today reported. This problem results from the increasing production of data, and is common with genomics. Sequencing one genome creates over 100 gigabytes of data, and sequencing 1 million genomes would create over 100 petabytes of data.
The data and analytic tools are being put on computer servers by the search giant to allow researchers to process and collect data as they wish. Researchers can then remotely access the data so they can work together.
"Modern biology has become a data-limited science," said David Glazer, engineering director for Google Genomics. "Modern computing can remove those limits."
A date for the completion of the database has not been revealed, The Verge reported. Autism Speaks said, however, that it already has its next approximately 2,000 samples.
When the samples are ready, they will bring the database up to 3,000 genomes.
Neither Google nor Autism Speaks commented on the business arrangement for the partnership, which Glazer called "standard," USA Today reported.
"This is a win win," he said. "They are buying our services and we are working with them to refine those services as we go."
