It took a global corps of scientists approximately $500 million and 13 years to identify the more than 35,000 genes of the human genome. Five years later, Boston College Biologist Gabor Marth and his research team have developed software that can analyze half a million DNA sequences in 10 minutes.The Marth laboratory’s proprietary PyroBayes software is one of a new breed of computer programs able to accurately process the mountains of genome data flowing from the latest generation of gene decoding machines, which have placed a premium on computational speed and accuracy in data-crunching fields known as bioinformatics and high-throughput biology, said Marth, an associate professor of Biology.

“We’re on the edge of a real technological revolution that I think will help us understand the genetic causes of diseases in humans and how genetic materials determine traits in animals,” said Marth. “It is going to lead to less expensive technologies that will allow researchers to decode any individual.” … Continue Reading »