Cloud Computing for BioLabs

Cloud Computing for BioLabs

Abraham Pouliakis, Aris Spathis, Christine Kottaridi, Antonia Mourtzikou, Marilena Stamouli, Stavros Archondakis, Efrossyni Karakitsou, Petros Karakitsos
Copyright: © 2014 |Pages: 22
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-6118-9.ch012
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Abstract

Cloud computing has quickly emerged as an exciting new paradigm providing models of computing and services. Via cloud computing technology, bioinformatics tools can be made available as services to anyone, anywhere, and via any device. Large bio-datasets, highly complex algorithms, computing power demanding analysis methods, and the sudden need for hardware and computational resources provide an ideal environment for large-scale bio-data analysis for cloud computing. Cloud computing is already applied in the fields of biology and biochemistry, via numerous paradigms providing novel ideas stimulating future research. The concept of BioCloud has rapidly emerged with applications related to genomics, drug design, biology tools on the cloud, bio-databases, cloud bio-computing, and numerous applications related to biology and biochemistry. In this chapter, the authors present research results related to biology-related laboratories (BioLabs) as well as potential applications for the everyday clinical routine.
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Background

Selected basic knowledge background components are needed to approach the application of the Cloud on BigData produced by two medical and/or research laboratories related to medicine, namely the Medical Microbiology and the Clinical Biochemistry laboratories.

Medical Microbiology

Medical microbiology is a medicine branch related to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. Additionally, studies clinical applications of microbes for health improvement. Clinical microbiology is related to four kinds of microorganisms that may cause infectious diseases; bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses.

Medical microbiology primarily focuses on the presence and growth of microbial infections in humans, their effects on the body and methods to treat these infections. Medical microbiologists primarily study:

  • 1.

    Pathogen characteristics,

  • 2.

    Transmission modes,

  • 3.

    Growth mechanisms,

  • 4.

    Infection mechanisms.

Via these studies a treatment can be proposed to physicians, therefore, medical microbiologists usually offer consulting services to physicians, by providing identification of pathogens and suggesting treatment options.

An additional branch of microbiology is related to the study of microbial pathology, mainly for non-pathogenic species in order to determine whether they can be used to develop antibiotics and other treatment methods. Finally, microbiology has other activities related to the population:

  • 1.

    Identification of health risks related to the population.

  • 2.

    Monitoring of the evolution of potentially virulent microbes.

  • 3.

    Monitoring of the evolution of potentially resistant strains of microbes.

  • 4.

    Education of the community.

  • 5.

    Provisioning of assistance in the design of health practices.

  • 6.

    Provisioning of assistance in the prevention and control of epidemics and outbreaks of diseases.

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