ALS Research - Beyond Project MinE скачать в хорошем качестве

ALS Research - Beyond Project MinE

Project MinE is the largest genetic study of ALS ever done. The goal is to find the genetic causes of ALS. For this project, the ALS Centre in the Netherlands supports the analyses of the DNA from 15,000 ALS patients and from 7,500 healthy control subjects worldwide. The objective of Beyond Project MinE is to make all of the preparations for the storage and analysis of all of these 22,500 DNA profiles from around the world. The DNA profiles are studied thoroughly by means of whole genome sequencing, a method in which all of the genetic properties in a DNA profile are visualised. This is done in the US by a specialised company. Sequencing DNA yields huge amounts of data. For example: the data from a single DNA profile requires around 80 gigabytes of storage. And all 22,500 DNA profiles require some 2 petabytes. This is equivalent to a pile of hard drives as tall as more than 100 meters! So Project MinE is a unique challenge in terms of the required storage and computing capacity. All of the DNA is compared in the participating ALS Centres. In order to find the genetic cause of ALS, the differences in the DNA must be mapped extremely carefully. Every difference just may be a cause of ALS and must therefore be investigated. The suspicion is that ALS does not have just one single cause, but that there are several genetic mutations that play a role in its pathogenesis. So it's quite possible that different treatments may be needed to combat the various possible causes of ALS. Fight along with us against this merciless disease. www.projectmine.com