IBCH PAS and PSNC as a national node in the field of coronavirus data

2020-04-08

IBCH PAS and PSNC as a national node in the field of coronavirus data

Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center together with the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences is starting a cooperation with the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) as a national node in the field of data on SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory is launching an IT platform where the virus sequence data will be collected and shared. In addition, the Covid-19 portal will also create a database to collect data sets and tools to assist in coronavirus research. This initiative is coordinated by the EMBL branch in Hinxton (United Kingdom) – European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI).

The national nodes established in the EMBL Member States will cooperate with the main ‘Covid-19 Portal’. This initiative will also involve cooperation with existing networks and databases, including the database maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Minister of Science and Higher Education entrusted the role of a national node to the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, within which the Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center operates – one of the leading data storage and data processing centers in Poland using artificial intelligence methods and advanced visualization.

PSNC will collect data in consultation with interested national entities operating in the area of ​​scientific research and health. The goal of this collaboration is to better understand the biology, epidemiology, transmission and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and to find effective ways to slow down the epidemic.