Cambridge spin-out aims to realise the power of genomic data in precision medicine

skbf2 — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 12:00:58 +0000

XetaBase is built on the open-source OpenCB platform, the first proven big data system optimised for genomic data. ̽��ֱ��result of a five-year collaboration between Genomics England and the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, OpenCB enables genotypes to be stored in a database.

̽��ֱ��lead developer of OpenCB, Ignacio Medina, is Head of the Computational Biology Lab at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and Zetta Genomics’ founder and co-developer of XetaBase.

XetaBase allows researchers and clinicians to securely store, easily access, and dynamically interrogate vast and increasing volumes of genomic data – on demand. ̽��ֱ��technology brings genome-enabled discovery, healthcare analytics, and population research into the lab – and prognostics, diagnostics, and therapeutics into the clinic.

Zetta Genomics founder, Ignacio Medina said, “Zetta Genomics re-imagines data to deliver a dynamic platform fit for the fast-emerging, fast-scaling, multi-petabyte environment. In liberating genomic data – placing its power into the hands of researchers and clinicians – we will drive precision medicine’s transformation into mainstream healthcare and life-changing patient benefit.”

̽��ֱ��seed funding round comes as genome-enabled precision medicine moves from the niche to the mainstream. ̽��ֱ��UK has led the world with its new Genomics Medicine Service, making testing routine within the publicly funded NHS. These and other population level initiatives are predicted to see 60 million genomes sequenced to 2025 and 100 million by the end of the decade.

Marc Subirats, Partner at lead investor, Nina Capital, said, “Genomic medicine has enjoyed explosive growth in the past five years, but this is set to be eclipsed in the next decade. XetaBase is an enabling technology – empowering virtually every research field and clinical application. As genomic sequencing moves from the hundreds of thousands to the hundreds of millions, Nina Capital is confident that Zetta Genomics’ growth will both drive and be driven by rapid advances in precision medicine.”

Market and precision medicine opportunities have helped Zetta Genomics to create an extensive, growing and valuable partnership network with organisations such as Fujitsu, Future Perfect Healthcare, Genomics England, Microsoft, the NHS, and the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge.

Dr Elaine Loukes, Investment Director at ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge Enterprise, said, “Cambridge Enterprise creates and invests in companies, built on ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge research, that can have a huge positive impact on society. From our first meeting it was clear that Ignacio had developed something incredibly special. Zetta’s technology helps researchers and clinicians fully exploit genomic data, speeding the delivery of precision medicine across the world.”

VC-backed funding will focus on growth, enhancing the company’s partnership network while it expands from the UK to open both Spanish and US offices. Investment will also focus on talent, with a five-fold increase in headcount to secure additional software, development and commercialisation expertise.

Cambridge spin-out Zetta Genomics has raised £2.5 million in new seed funding from Nina Capital, APEX Medical and Cambridge Enterprise to advance its genomic data management technology and power the discovery and delivery of precision medicine at scale.

Zetta Genomics

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Cambridge receives £10 million in funding for new AI supercomputer

sc604 — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 13:28:23 +0000

̽��ֱ��new AI supercomputer is a £10 million partnership between the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and the ̽��ֱ��. Capable of solving the largest scientific and industrial challenges at very high speeds, the supercomputer is supported by Cambridge’s Research Computing Service. ̽��ֱ��aim is to help companies to create real business value from advanced computing infrastructures.

̽��ֱ��supercomputer is part of the UK government’s AI Sector Deal, which involves more than 50 leading technology companies and organisations. ̽��ֱ��deal is worth almost £1 billion, including almost £300 million of private sector investment into AI.

“AI research requires supercomputing capacity capable of processing huge amounts of data at very high speeds,” said Dr Paul Calleja, Director of the ̽��ֱ��’s Research Computing Service. “Cambridge’s supercomputer provides researchers with the fast and affordable supercomputing power they need for AI work.”

In addition to computing power, Calleja and his team will provide training, guidance and support Cambridge researchers, and the wider UK IA industry, to make the most of their data.

“AI projects involving Cambridge researchers are already underway,” said Calleja. “In the life sciences we are working on medical imaging analysis and genomics, and in astronomy, AI is being used as part of the Square Kilometre Array project and research to map exoplanets.”

Cambridge is home to the largest technology cluster in Europe. Over the past decade, start-ups based on AI and machine learning, in Cambridge and elsewhere, have seen explosive growth.

“ ̽��ֱ��UK must be at the forefront of emerging technologies, pushing boundaries and harnessing innovation to change people’s lives for the better,” said Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Matt Hancock. “Artificial Intelligence is at the centre of our plans to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a digital business. We have a great track record and are home to some of the world’s biggest names in AI like Deepmind, Swiftkey and Babylon, but there is so much more we can do. By boosting AI skills and data-driven technologies we will make sure that we continue to build a Britain that is shaping the future.”

Building on the commitment made in the government’s modern Industrial Strategy and its AI Grand Challenge, the AI Sector Deal marks the first phase of a major innovation-focused investment drive in AI which aims to help the UK seize the £232 billion opportunity AI offers the UK economy by 2030 (10% of GDP).

̽��ֱ��deal will help establish the UK as a research hotspot, with measures to ensure the innovators and tech entrepreneurs of tomorrow are based in the UK, with investment in the high-level post-graduate skills needed to capitalise on technology’s huge potential.

It includes money for training for 8,000 specialist computer science teachers, 1,000 government-funded AI PhDs by 2025 and a commitment to develop a prestigious global Turing Fellowship programme to attract and retain the best research talent in AI to the UK.

“Artificial intelligence provides limitless opportunities to develop new, efficient and accessible products and services which transform the way we live and work,” said Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark. “Today’s new deal with industry will ensure we have the right investment, infrastructure and highly-skilled workforce to establish the UK as a driving force in the development and commercial use of artificial intelligence technologies.”

̽��ֱ��UK’s fastest academic supercomputer, based at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, will be made available to artificial intelligence (AI) technology companies from across the UK, in support of the government’s industrial strategy.

Cambridge’s supercomputer provides researchers with the fast and affordable supercomputing power they need for AI work.

Paul Calleja

Photo by Pietro Jeng on Unsplash

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̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For image use please see separate credits above.

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̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Research Computing Service

Cambridge spin-out aims to realise the power of genomic data in precision medicine

Cambridge receives £10 million in funding for new AI supercomputer