National Institute of Genetics Deploys Aspera to Accelerate Transfer of Life Sciences Data
LONDON & EMERYVILLE, Calif.–()–Aspera, Inc. (http://www.asperasoft.com/), creators of next-generation software technologies that move the world’s data at maximum speed, today announced that Japan’s National Institute of Genetics (http://www.nig.ac.jp/english/index.html) (NIG) has deployed Aspera’s web-based Connect Server (http://www.asperasoft.com/en/products/server_software_1/aspera_connect_server_4) to facilitate international research collaboration for high-throughput DNA sequencing and large-scale data analysis.
With a mission to advance research in the field of life sciences, NIG operates multiple entities including the Bioresources Center, DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ) and DNA Sequencing Center as core institutes to build the intellectual infrastructure that supports them. Genetic research at the facilities generates massive data sets of up to 20 GB each, which need to be distributed and exchanged with other scientists and existing Aspera partners – such as the European Bioinformatics Institute (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/) and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) – on a daily basis. FTP file transfer and physically shipping hard drives had proved to be too unreliable, time consuming and expensive, so NIG turned to Aspera’s patented, high-speed fasp™ (http://www.asperasoft.com/en/technology/fasp_overview_1/fasp_technology_overview_1) transport technology.
The Aspera Connect Server transfers large data between NIG and their worldwide partners with unparalleled performance and reliability regardless of distance and with bullet proof security. A web-based directory allows researchers to easily browse the data they need to access, and an install-on-demand browser plug-in enables high-speed uploads and downloads transparently from within the user’s browser.
“Our purpose is to provide DNA information, an analysis environment, computing resources and data transfer to researchers as quickly as possible,” said Professor Toshihisa Takagi at NIG’s DNA Data Bank of Japan. “With Aspera we are able to consistently transfer at our full available bandwidth of 1Gbps while respecting other important Internet traffic. And because of the simplicity of the software with user-friendly web and desktop GUIs, our researchers are able to immediately move data online without a great deal of training.”
“Data drives innovation in the life sciences,” said John Wastcoat, vice president at Aspera. “And Aspera allows the NIG researchers and partners the fastest turnaround of that critical data. In addition, NIG has been able to reduce capital and operational costs while making the systems easier to use resulting in a win across all business groups.”
About Aspera
Aspera is the creator of next-generation transport technologies that move the world’s data at maximum speed regardless of file size, transfer distance and network conditions. Based on its patented fasp™ protocol, Aspera software fully utilizes existing infrastructures to deliver the fastest, most predictable file-transfer experience. Aspera’s core technology delivers unprecedented control over bandwidth, complete security and uncompromising reliability. More than 1,500 organizations across a variety of industries on six continents rely on Aspera software for the business-critical transport of their digital assets. Please visit www.asperasoft.com and follow us on Twitter @asperasoft for more information.
