Mitate Zepto Technica Inc. (Abbreviation: MZT, Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President: Keisuke Harashima) has announced the successful basic design of the world’s fastest genome analysis dedicated hardware accelerator. The newly developed hardware accelerator achieves the world’s fastest speed of under 5 minutes for sequence data matching and alignment processes required for genome analysis through ultra-parallel computation, achieving more than ten times the processing performance of conventional devices. This leads to a significant improvement in analysis efficiency, a drastic reduction in system costs, and is expected to contribute to solving various social issues such as genetic diagnosis in the medical field, as well as food issues in agriculture, fisheries, and livestock industries which have become global problems, and applications in biotechnology and energy fields.
The new accelerator not only solves the speed issue of data processing but also enables a reduction to about one-fifth of the conventional system construction cost by using a custom ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) developed in-house. With the introduction of this accelerator, it is possible to perform high-speed data processing using general-purpose servers without the need for supercomputers or large computers, which is expected to promote the introduction of genome diagnostic equipment to small and medium-sized research and medical institutions that had been deferring the introduction of analysis systems due to cost issues.
The main features of the newly developed genome analysis dedicated hardware accelerator are as follows:
- Significantly reduces running costs by approximately ten times the analysis throughput
- Greatly reduces initial costs by making the system construction cost about one-fifth of the conventional cost
- Expands and levels the playing field for institutions introducing genome diagnosis systems
- Accelerates the evolution of biotechnology through the increase in analysis data
The background to MZT’s successful development of the basic design for this revolutionary genome analysis dedicated hardware accelerator includes the development of unique algorithms for efficiently processing vast amounts of genome data, the adoption of superior processor design technology, the realization of multi-core implementation technology by an excellent team of engineers, and advantages in low-power consumption technology.
Regarding the new development of the genome analysis dedicated hardware accelerator, Keisuke Harashima, President of Mitate Zepto Technica, stated: “Our company focuses on the various problems faced by the medical industry, aiming to develop products using the world’s highest level of advanced technology and propose them to the world. With the new development of the world’s fastest genome analysis dedicated hardware accelerator, we will contribute to solving various social issues common to humanity, from the medical field to the food sector.”
Genome analysis is the comprehensive analysis of the genetic information contained in the genome of an organism. It determines the sequence of bases (GATC) that make up the DNA molecule and compares the base sequences between the same and different species to elucidate what differences the DNA sequence variations bring about.
Genome diagnosis is the examination of an individual’s genes to quickly select the diagnosis of the person’s disease or risk of development, the effectiveness of medication, and the best prevention and treatment options based on data. In Japan, genomic medicine for some cancers is covered by insurance. It is also referred to as genetic testing or DNA testing.