Cover Story
Huawei Cloud Container Keeps X-Turing Biotech One Step Ahead
 

In recent years, gene detection has really taken flight in China. In 2003, the USD $3 billion human genome project was completed with production of a full sketch of a human gene. In just 15 years, genome sequencing costs for a complete human gene have decreased from USD $3 billion to less than $10,000. Today, individual consumers can take a simple genetic test for about one hundred dollars.

 

Over the years, as these prices became lower, more consumer genetic testing companies sprang up. One of the leading companies in this industry was established in the United States 12 years ago and has processed millions of samples since it first started offering its services. While the statistics are incomplete, thousands of genetic testing companies have been registered in China in the recent five years and have begun to offer genetic testing services to the general public.

 

One of those companies, X-Turing Biotechnology Co., Ltd., entered the consumer gene detection market in 2016. X-Turing possess a complete R&D system and offers a full set of gene detection-related products. The company adopts a process whereby saliva samples are collected instead of using invasive alternatives, which means samples can easily be collected from children under three years old. Based in Xi’an of China’s central region, X-Turing Biotech has gained much recognition throughout the entire country, having signed more than ten agency agreements with organizations in Guangzhou, Fujian, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces and even with multiple other agencies in its home province. The company has a good base of coverage throughout the country and is continuing to expand its strategic cooperation.

 

 

 

With So Many Registered Companies, Why Is There Still So Little Buzz?

 

Looking at the sheer number of registered companies engaging in genetic testing in China, one could mistakenly surmise that this segment has a large market scale. However, that is not the case. Although there are thousands of registered companies, market coverage is far from extensive. Only 10% of the population in China has even heard of genetic testing and even fewer are actually familiar with it. The number of individuals in China that have undergone genetic testing only number around half a million.

 

There are many contributing factors to this situation. The main causes are that, first, the development of gene detection industry depends on breakthroughs from leading research institutions. Enterprises alone cannot create the momentum, the basis must come from scientific research. Second, the concept of gene detection is largely unheard of in China. Most people do not come into contact with the related technologies and products, so they need time to understand and accept the new tech. Third, considerable time is needed to parse the genes and provide the sequencing results. The entire process takes about 10 days. Many people do not trust this new technology because they can’t get the results immediately, so they are unwilling to pay for it. Fourth, different companies in the market are using different technical means to accelerate iterations. This means there is a lack of unified standards in the market, which hinders maturation. In recent years, enterprises have fabricated detection results, throwing the reputation of the whole industry into disrepute. This situation has also contributed to the lack of acceptance from the general public. 

 

What Makes X-Turing Biotech Stand Out?

 

At its launch, X-Turing Biotech was well aware of all these issues. X-Turing has its independent standardized laboratory equipped with the most advanced commercial gene sequencing platforms from Thermo Fisher Scientific and Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI). X-Turning was fully prepared in terms of technology. The complete R&D capabilities in biotech means that its products are optimized for the needs of today, and future rollouts are quick to keep pace with the pressing needs of its clients.

 

What really makes X-Turing stand out is the excellence of its R&D platform. The GenoStack cloud platform is a data analysis and processing platform jointly developed by X-Turing and HUAWEI CLOUD. The platform provides a pipeline, powered on Huawei container services, for analyzing and processing biological information.

 

The GenoStack cloud platform accelerates sequencing of a single gene by more than 30% and features rich function sets including automated data analysis, saving manpower and material resources. The platform also delivers unparalleled advantages in resource configuration, breaking through the limit of the volume of data that can be parsed simultaneously, maximizing resource utilization. The improved efficiencies means that X-Turing can connect to more databases at world-famous scientific research institutions. The company also continues to increase its investment in database construction, improving the accuracy in interpretation of detection results.

 

GenoStack also improves data parsing efficiency, enabling X-Turing to provide detection reports for users more quickly and with added diversity in report elements. The company is using these advantages to seize opportunities and stay one step ahead of other competitors. The breakthroughs in technology are winning over customers and bringing more opportunities for cooperation. What’s more, thanks to the elasticity of the resource pools and the highly scalable architecture of the HUAWEI CLOUD, X-Turing can ensure efficiency does not decline when processing large volumes of samples.

 

On March 22-23, 2018, X-Turing Biotech was invited to attend the 2018 Huawei Ecosystem Partner Conference. During the event, X-Turing and Huawei jointly launched GenoStack, a purpose-built cloud container for the gene detection industry. X-Turing will also continue to partner with and use HUAWEI CLOUD. Both parties are working on expanding the functions of the GenoStack cloud platform and plan to integrate more tools and methods in biotech while also bringing the extended supports in interpretation of data with Huawei’s machine learning framework. GenoStack is quickly developing into an industry benchmark effort in interpreting genetic sequencing data.

 

Cloud Container Engine (CCE) services in HUAWEI CLOUD provide impressive stability, leading-edge tech, and a complete set of utilities needed to help X-Turing throttle up processing capabilities to produce reports more expediently. Huawei provides everything needed in the containerized services so the enterprise can focus more time, money, and effort on innovation and development of new technologies. X-Turing plans to focus on optimization of its instrumentation, updating to its technology, and accelerating product iterations, all while maximizing utilization of limited funds to achieve a leading position in the market. X-Turing is rising to the top with the help of HUAWEI CLOUD – find out more about how your organization can benefit from the immense processing capabilities available in the containerized services Huawei offers.