A Review of Cloud Computing Bioinformatics Solutions for Next-Gen Sequencing Data Analysis and Research

Research in biology has entered a digital era, where next-generation sequencing instruments generate multiple terabytes of data but are equipped with minimal computational and storage capacity that is not sufficient for large-scale, post-sequencing data analysis. Therefore, scientific value cannot be obtained from investment in a sequencing instrument, unless it is also combined with a significant expense for informatics infrastructure. An alternative option for laboratories is to outsource their informatics infrastructure, by leasing computational cycles and storage capacity from cloud computing services. Development of cloud-based bioinformatics tool suites can provide users with access to pre-configured software and on-demand computing resources for genomic data analysis, while at the same time lower the barrier for working with sequencing datasets, leading to broader adoption of genomic technologies for basic biological research. We conclude that along with the democratization of genome sequencing through the availability of lowcost, bench-top sequencers, cloud computing can in turn democratize access to computational capacity and informatics infrastructures required for sequencing data analysis.