By Branwyn Wagman, CBSE
The UCSC Cancer Genomics Hub (CGHub) received an honorable mention for the 2013 Larry Sautter Award for Innovation in Information Technology, an annual award program to recognize innovative deployment of information technology at the University of California.
Bestowed by the UC Information Technology Leadership Council at the annual UC Computing Services Conference, August 4-6, 2013, the Sautter award recognizes projects developed by faculty and staff at any of the ten UC campuses, the UC Office of the President, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Distinguished professor of biomolecular engineering David Haussler directs the CGHub project. His group developed it under contract from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for its cancer genome research projects.
CGHub program director Linda Rosewood will accept the award on behalf of the project.
“This award recognizes that CGHub is a pioneering repository for the life sciences,” she said. “We offer an innovative, user-centric approach to genome research and have built a foundation for others at UC to follow.”
The CGHub is a 5-petabyte database and user portal that stores, catalogs, and provides access to cancer genome sequences, alignments, and mutation information for more than 20 cancer types studied in the NCI’s cancer genome research programs.
In creating the CGHub, the UCSC team tackled significant computational challenges posed by storing, serving, and interpreting large-scale cancer genomics data.
Earlier this year, the CGHub received the 2013 Innovations in Networking Award for High-Performance Research from the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC).