geneticXchange Releases Version 5 of the K1 System
Data Integration Middleware Platform provides provides real-time, ad hoc queries of any life science data source to biotechs in-situ.Menlo Park, California, Nov. 1, 2001 - geneticXchange has shipped Version 5 of its K1 System Data Integration Middleware Platform for Biotechs. This latest version enables the integration of data across the classic functional domains (e.g., genomics, proteomics, chemicogenomics, pharmacogenomics, combichem, etc.) to create an informatics highway that brings research closer than ever to true in silico discovery.
"With version 5 of the K1 system, biotechs get an immediate, ready-to-go, deliverable-today data integration solution," says Neeta Godhwani, Director of Product Marketing. "With our industry built on a 'whoever finishes first wins' model, the acceleration gained from a buy versus build decision can make or break a biotechs long term valuation. Six months ago biotechs perceived us as competitors. Today, because we're solidly positioned as a middleware company, these companies are buying and embedding K1 into their products."
V5 of the software allows the Biotech developer and user to access any of these domains with an extended SQL syntax that handles the data complexity inherent in life science research in a productive and simple way. One short SQL command to the K1 System will retrieve this data without the need for costly, time-consuming hand coding.
"We've fully productized the K1 System so biotech data-producers, like the biochip and mass spectrometer companies, can easily embed our middleware into their software and thus meet their customers' demand for more flexible and more complete data integration," said Brian Donnelly, Chairman and CEO of the Menlo Park start-up. "We've also simplified the query process by including our SQL interface. Any programmer who understands standard SQL will be up on K1 in no time at all."
Built around the company's K1 Kernel, originally developed at the University of Pennsylvania and National University of Singapore and called Kleisli, Version 5 of the software allows Bioinformaticists and researchers to access data that is stored in heterogeneous formats and structures, and that is physically located anywhere in the world. There's no need to build and maintain a data warehouse. And the middleware is fully compatible with major RDBMS products - including those from Oracle, IBM (DB2/DiscoveryLink) and Sybase.
Says Mr. Donnelly, "Today's relational databases are two dimensional. They were just not built to handle the kind of data being produced in the life sciences. For instance, a proper GenBank record contains nested information. The Bioinformaticist must take the record apart, flatten it so it fits into the familiar rows and columns format of a relational database, create a vast number of tables, then join everything back together to make some sense out of this mess. The K1 Kernel, on the other hand, was built to deal with nested life science data."
The nested relational calculus, created by geneticXchange founder Dr. Limsoon Wong, recognizes the limitations of existing RDBMS systems in dealing with complex (nested) data structures. The K1 Kernel uses a multidimensional approach that adds depth to each cell. It's like having cells behind each other (similar to a collection of Excel ® worksheets), all adding up to a kind of workbook. In this structure complex data can be stored elegantly, then retrieved quickly using simple SQL commands.
The K1 System is made up of components that can be embedded within the existing software that's being created in the biotech. These components work with today's most advanced visualization and chip technologies. geneticXchange APIs enable query and retrieval, with the results coming back in the form set by the biotech. Further, the integrated information can be delivered to the biotechs existing RDBMS.
The K1 System can be configured to fit into any company's data management system or embedded directly into visualization or chip technologies. In every situation, the simple SQL commands are passed to the K1 Kernel which then retrieves the data, integrates it and sends the result back to the user's screen or to the enterprise's local RDBMS, thereby complementing and enhancing an existing software engineering investment.
With the release of Version 5 of the K1 System, geneticXchange is delivering a complete mathematically perfect data acquisition and integration solution built specifically to handle the enormous complexities and volume of life science data.
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About geneticXchange
geneticXchange is a software product company that produces the K1 System Data Integration Middleware Platform. The company's software lets biotech developers acquire and integrate data from dissimilar sources located around the world. Because the data sources are so complex, they exist in a wide variety of structures and formats, created to serve the particular needs of an area of research; for instance, genomics, proteomics, pharmacogenomics, even clinical trials. The existing vertical solutions are effective for distinct areas of specialization. But the K1 System middleware, created from scratch to handle the level of complexity inherent in the life sciences, provides integration across these areas of specialization. Therefore, geneticXchange sells to and is targeting every biotech company that must integrate and resell complex life science data. Biotechs can realize a faster time-to-market for their products, then offer shorter drug discovery timelines to their customers. The K1 System delivers the closest approach yet to true in silico discovery.
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