Cloud accelerates research on new drugs and therapies

Researchers from the Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Science and the Biotechnology Centre of the Silesian University of Technology are involved in the analysis of protein data obtained, among others, from cancer patients. As they explain, in order to understand and understand the biological nature of these diseases it is necessary to study not only the genetic changes in cancer cells, but also the products of gene expression - proteins. The work of Silesian researchers plays is an important part in effective medical diagnostics, production of new drugs and treatment of patients.

A major problem researchers often face is the lack of adequate computing power needed to analyse their data. They get support from Microsoft Research - which as part of a grant provides free access to cloud computing resources of Azure to researchers.

The research project of Silesian University of Technology scientists working in collaboration with Microsoft Research is an excellent example of cooperation between the world of science and the commercial sector, according to Microsoft.

"Due to the fact that the data we get for analysis are very large, we need a lot of computing power" - told PAP project manager Dr. Dariusz Mrozek. "Sometimes we have terabytes of data - which makes it very time-consuming to use a particular calculation procedure for any type of analysis we run - and thus the time of waiting for the result gets longer" - he explained.

Meanwhile, the time of waiting for the result is often crucial. "It often involves delayed diagnosis of a serious illness or its type, and, as a consequence, it delays the time when appropriate treatment is started" - explained Dr. Mrozek. Laboratories and hospitals usually do not have the computer resources to quickly process and analyse such data. This is a serious challenge that often becomes a major bottleneck in the process of discovering the causes of serious illnesses" - added the researcher.

"We can shorten waiting times by using larger computing resources to analyse the data - and that\'s what the cloud offers" - said Mrozek. This way, the calculations that used to take a few days, can now be completed in less than two hours.

Mrozek explained that although it would be possible to acquire the computing power needed to accelerate research without Microsoft\'s assistance - this process would involve many complications. "We could buy the equipment, but that would means the whole tender procedure, that is, a very long wait time. A lot of time would be wasted on raising funds to buy equipment, configure it, maintain it and finally use it for scientific calculations. Cloud offers very fast entry, fast connection to available computing power and computing almost immediately: we get computing resources on-demand, just like we get electricity from the power outlet, and we scale those resources according to our current needs" - he said.

In one of their projects, Cloud4Psi, Silesian scientists worked on creating software that looks for similarities in molecular structure of proteins. "Depending on the type of data we work on, our research is supported by a variety of analytical, diagnostic and decision-making processes in the fields of biology and medicine" - said Dr. Mrozek. "For example, the process of analysing protein structures later gives us the opportunity to research new drugs - both cancer related and completely different ones" - he added.

Silesian scientists also conduct research into molecular profiling and tumour biomarking in cooperation with the Oncology Center in Gliwice.

"These studies are based, among other things, on the analysis of protein expression in cancer cells of individual patients. This allows to create molecular profiles of tumours detected in individual patients, which allows the oncologists to develop personalized therapies for patients and significantly increase their effectiveness" - said Dr. Mrozek. He explained that it is similar to an antibiotic sensitivity test performed before prescribing an antibiotic, which determines to which antibiotics the bacteria are resistant and to which they are susceptible.

"It is similar to personalized cancer therapies that, based on the results of the calculations and analyses, are prepared for specific patients with cancer with a specific molecular profile. This allows to use the right cancer treatment procedures. This is the direction in which all modern medicine is going" - the researcher explained.

The research project is being carried out by scientists from the Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Science and the Biotechnology Centre of the Silesian University of Technology. It is supported by Microsoft Azure for Research. Microsoft awarded the project as an example of excellent collaboration between the world of science and the commercial sector. A video about this venture has been posted the Microsoft channel on YouTube: https://youtu.be/162Qb9ZtRDc

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland, Katarzyna Florencka

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