GPAS to Assist in Study and Research of COVID-19 Variants

Key Highlights:

• The University of Oxford and Oracle have designed the Global Pathogen Analysis System (GPAS) to identify covid-19 variants
• The GPAS will analyze and compare the annotated genomic sequence data of the SARS-CoV-2 virus
• The platform has been built using Oxford’s Scalable Pathogen Pipeline Platform, Oracle APEX, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 

The First Industry Standards-based Service Offering

Due to the rapid and frequent mutation of the COVID-19 virus, the University of Oxford and Oracle have collaboratively designed the Global Pathogen Analysis System. Researchers have lacked the technical infrastructure to process raw sequences quickly and share them all over the world. 

A free tool, GPAS will assist researchers and medical institutions to counter COVID-19 and other microbial health threats. It will enable researchers and the government to timely access relevant data needed to make up-to-date scientific analyses and better-informed policy with safety decisions regarding new variants.

What is GPAS?

GPAS is the first industry standards-based service offering a standardized sequence data analysis service for users on the cloud. It is a cloud platform that provides a unified, standardized system for analyzing and comparing the annotated genomic sequence data of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

Users will be able to access, upload, and process the sequence data that will be analyzed. If the data is shared by the users, it will be contributed to electronic dashboard visualizations of global data. It will enable continuous assessment of the pandemic and help curb the impact of the virus. GPAS will also help researchers to identify the patterns of the virus spread and mitigate its devastating impact.

How Does GPAS Work?

The GPAS has been built using Oxford’s Scalable Pathogen Pipeline Platform, Oracle APEX, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Researchers upload the pathogen data in the system and comprehensive results are generated within minutes. 

These results can be further shared with participating laboratories that will help public health authorities evaluate and plan their response accordingly. It provides invaluable insight into emerging variants even before they are officially declared as ‘Variants of Concern’.

Also Read: UK Scientists are convinced that a COVID variant will emerge that beats vaccines