Data as Far as the Eye Can See

All the sequencers at BGI generate so much data that the institute has to use FedEx to send disks of data to its collaborators, highlighting the data storage and management problems facing genomics research, says The New York Times. However, the article adds that the problem is also creating opportunities for bioinformaticians and bioinformatics companies. "We believe the field of bioinformatics for genetic analysis will be one of the biggest areas of disruptive innovation in life science tools over the next few years," wrote Goldman Sachs analyst Isaac Ro in a recent report. The Times adds that the situation will only worsen with the addition of RNA, protein, and metagenomic data, though some researchers are turning to computing solutions like relying on the cloud or a collaboration with Google.