SGI Powers University of Hawaii

BOSTON -- An International Papaya Genome Consortium led by University of Hawaii (UH) researchers has completed the Papaya Genome Sequencing Project and, from the start, researchers relied on technology from SGI (NASDAQ:SGIC) to provide the processing power and speed required to run the assemblies. The papaya genome was sequenced using a whole genome shotgun approach running on the combination of an SGI(R) Altix(R) system, SGI(R) InfiniteStorage and Qube! scheduling software from PipelineFX(R). It has taken two years to construct the physical map and to sequence the 372 million base pairs. The disease-resistant "SunUp" papaya is now the first fruit -- and the first transgenic crop -- to be sequenced, helping to pave the way for international export of genetically modified fruits and vegetables.

"Sequencing the papaya genome is the first large scale genome project done in Hawaii with international collaboration from 22 research institutes and will benefit the papaya research community, papaya farmers, and consumers for years to come," said Maqsudul Alam, Director of the Center for Advanced Studies in Genomics, Proteomics, and Bioinformatics, College of Natural Sciences, lead institute of the International Papaya Genome Consortium. "We chose the SGI Altix because of the configuration of the memory system, how quickly we can use the random memory, and also the scalability of the system, and of course, the price/performance. SGI technology has been instrumental in achieving this technological and scientific milestone."

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