Beagle: A Supercomputer for Computational Biology, Simulation, and Data Analysis

描述（由申请人提供）：我们建议获得和操作82 Teraflop/sec Cray XT 5超级计算机，加上相关的1800 TB存储系统，由芝加哥大学和其他地方的研究人员应用于生物医学研究前沿的一系列具有挑战性的研究问题。与克雷公司签订了积极的合作协议，芝加哥大学对操作和应用支持的大量支持，以及经验丰富的技术人员，使我们能够提出一个具有学术生物医学前所未有的能力的系统。一组著名的生物医学研究小组将应用该系统：阐明离子通道和Src酪氨酸激酶的生物学功能和结合特异性;大规模探索RNA-蛋白质相互作用组，寻求对细胞网络和核糖核蛋白复合物功能的新见解;毫米分辨率，用于电损伤和热损伤研究的全身模型，获得新的见解，以最有效的临床管理的重大电创伤;表征转录调控网络的病原体;定量预测模拟离子通道功能，并设计通道与新的属性;用于鉴定癌症治疗的新型microRNA相关靶点的高通量方法;大脑结构与人类行为的多对多映射，以获得关于从神经损伤中恢复的新假设和治疗选择;开发用于各种疾病状态的基于图像的生物标志物，包括乳腺癌、肺癌、结肠癌和前列腺癌以及心脏病;识别各种遗传性疾病的遗传特征;以及用于临床发现和科学界知识创造和传播的表征的大规模文本挖掘。除了为其主要用户的NIH资助的研究计划提供直接支持外，Cray超级计算机还将促进新计算方法的开发和传播，并帮助培训和激励年轻的研究人员，博士后和学生使用这些方法进行基础，转化和临床研究。Cray系统采用创新的冷却方式，显著降低了电力需求。该系统的获得和应用将为克雷、芝加哥大学和其他机构提供就业机会，并将引发新的生物医学超级计算应用。 公共卫生相关性：我们建议获得和操作一个82万亿次/秒的克雷XT5超级计算机，加上相关的1800万亿字节的存储系统，由芝加哥大学和其他地方的研究人员应用于一组具有挑战性的研究问题，在生物医学研究的前沿和有前途的公共卫生效益。与克雷公司签订了积极的合作协议，芝加哥大学对操作和应用支持的大量支持，以及经验丰富的技术人员，使我们能够提出一个具有学术生物医学前所未有的能力的系统。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to acquire and operate an 82 Teraflop/sec Cray XT5 supercomputer, plus associated 1800 terabyte storage system, to be applied by researchers at the University of Chicago and elsewhere to a set of challenging research questions at the frontiers of biomedical research. An aggressive partnership agreement with Cray, Inc., substantial support from the University of Chicago for operations and application support, and an extremely experienced technical staff allows us to propose a system with capabilities unprecedented in academic biomedicine. A set of prominent biomedical research groups will apply the system to: elucidation of the biological function and binding specificity for ion channels and Src tyrosine kinases; large-scale explorations of RNA-protein interactomes, seeking new insights into cellular networks and the function of ribonucleoprotein complexes; millimeter-resolution, whole-body model for studies of electrical and thermal injury, to derive new insights into the most effective clinical management of major electrical trauma; characterization of transcriptional regulatory networks of pathogenic organisms; quantitatively predictive simulation of ion channel function, and the design of channels with new properties; high-throughput methods for identifying novel microRNA-related targets for cancer therapy; many-to-many mappings of brain structure to human behaviors, to obtain new hypotheses about recovery from neurology injury, and treatment options; development of image-based biomarkers for various disease states including breast, lung, colon, and prostate cancers, and cardiac disease; the identification of genetic signatures for a wide array of inherited disorders; and large-scale text mining for both clinical discovery and characterization of knowledge creation and propagation in scientific communities. In addition to providing direct support for the NIH-funded research programs of its primary users, the Cray supercomputer will also spur development and dissemination of new computational methods, and help train and inspire young investigators, postdocs, and students in the use of those methods for basic, translational, and clinical research. The Cray system uses innovative cooling and reduces power needs significantly. The acquisition and application of this system will provide employment at Cray, the University of Chicago, and other institutions, and will spark new biomedical supercomputing applications. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: We propose to acquire and operate a 82 Teraflop/sec Cray XT5 supercomputer, plus an associated 1800 terabyte storage system, to be applied by researchers at the University of Chicago and elsewhere to a set of challenging research questions at the frontiers of biomedical research and with promising public health benefits. An aggressive partnership agreement with Cray, Inc., substantial support from the University of Chicago for operations and application support, and an extremely experienced technical staff allows us to propose a system with capabilities unprecedented in academic biomedicine.