Biomarker discovery, high performance and cloud computing: A comprehensive review

The analysis of biological markers (biomarkers) have the ability to improve clinical outcomes of a disease through prediction and early detection. The constant improvement of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies coupled with falling equipment price are driving research and application especially in the medical domain. NGS technology is being applied to cancer research promising greater understanding of carcinogenesis. However, as sequence capacity grows, algorithmic speed is becoming an important bottleneck. To understand these challenges we present a review on difficulties currently faced in discovering biomarkers. The review places the spotlight on sequencing technologies and the bottlenecks encountered in these pipelines. Cloud computing and high performance computing technologies such as Grid are summarized in tackling computational challenges presented by technologies and algorithms used in biomarker research.