Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/922733
20 Executive Briefing data analytics, is hosted on Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing service. The Altruist Database storage and the +RTP API are also on Azure. In addition, Sequencing. com has integrated the Microsoft Genomics service for alignment and variant calling into their primary bioinformatics app, called EvE. Users who upload FASTQ, BAM or SAM files and use the EvE Premium app will be able to select Microsoft Genomics service for generating lists of variants. Sequencing.com is also working with Microsoft to integrate the Microsoft Genomics service into their default pipeline. The system default is used if a non-bioinformatician uploads a FASTQ, BAM or SAM file, such as if a lab or healthcare professional uploads the clients' WGS raw data files. For example, if a person selects a FASTQ file when starting a wellness app, Sequencing.com's default pipeline will perform alignment and variant calling in the background without any need for user interaction. Q: Microsoft and Sequencing.com held the event "Hack the Genome" in April 2017. Can you talk about the goals of the event, as well as what you saw as some of the most interesting takeaways/ findings? GM: The two-day event held on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Wa., focused on developing health and wellness apps that provide a unique, personalized user experience. We had 35 participants from different fields in this hackathon. Attendees were computer engineers, graduate students, start-up founders and hobbyists. Most participants in the hackathon had no prior genomics experience. Participants used the +RTP API to add personalization to their apps in the Sequencing.com platform. Each team that participated in the hackathon was successful in creating a meaningful application — a testimony to the power of the +RTP platform to abstract away the complexity of genomics from the app developer. The hackathon demonstrated +RTP technology removes the roadblock of "mandatory genomics knowledge" for a developer. A working knowledge of coding — .NET/C#, Swift, Objective-C, Java, PHP, HTML, Python, etc. — is enough to be successful with +RTP technology. Sequencing.com and Microsoft are organizing a second "Hack The Genome Hackathon" in the first half of the 2018 in New York City. Q: +RTP technology clearly has a place in the app market for users who are interested in personal wellness technology. Do you see +RTP technology playing a role in hospitals or health systems? What value will this provide them? GM: Current forecasts indicate the world is inundated with hundreds of exabytes of genetic data. This data needs to be analyzed by medical professionals in conjunction with clinical data from electronic medical record systems. +RTP technology will play a key role in extracting relevant and important information from this vast and complex data. Researchers can use genotypic and phenotypic information extracted for new treatment models or drug discoveries. n Microsoft is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We believe in what people make possible. "Current forecasts indicate the world is inundated with hundreds of exabytes of genetic data … +RTP technology will play a key role in extracting relevant and important information from this vast and complex data." − Geralyn Miller, Director of Microsoft Genomics, AI and Research Division