Containerization solutions for biomedical informatics

In the rapidly evolving field of biomedical informatics the demand for robust containerization technologies has become increasingly evident, representing a crucial tool to address the challenges faced by life scientists and make tangible strides in the biomedical industry. SCHEMA [1], [2], an open-source platform developed by members of the ELIXIR-GR community [3], addresses these needs by harnessing the power of containerization technologies to provide a comprehensive solution that advances scientific endeavors in precision medicine, medical imaging, bioinformatics, and more. It empowers life scientists with containerization tools, offering them the means to create, execute, and manage computational data-analysis workflows efficiently using the Common Workflow Language (CWL) [4]. These workflows can be later easily executed on diverse platforms, promoting accessibility and reproducibility of computational experiments.

Presently, SCHEMA has been included as one of the services within the European Digital Innovation Hub for smartHEALTH [5], aiming to support digital transformation in biomedical research, enabling SMEs, startups, mid-caps, and the public sector to leverage digital technology effectively. In this context, SCHEMA's team if offering containerization solutions and consulting to members of the biomedical industry paving the way for cutting-edge biomedical informatics.

As the biomedical landscape continues to evolve, SCHEMA envisions a more impactful role. Plans are underway to extend the platform with machine learning technologies, to enhance how life scientists approach complex problems. This expansion will open new opportunities for innovation within the biomedical industry, allowing for more sophisticated data analysis, predictive modeling, and insights that can advance research and applications in practical and meaningful ways.

During the Bio3 poster session, we look forward to providing a comprehensive overview of SCHEMA's existing functionalities, showcasing how it presently aids life scientists in their computational endeavors within biomedical informatics. Additionally, we will discuss future goals, offering valuable insights into how this platform can further assist life scientists and contribute to the biomedical industry.

References

[1]  "SCHEMA," [Online]. Available: https://schema.athenarc.gr/about/ . [Accessed 2023].

[2]  Thanasis Vergoulis, Konstantinos Zagganas, Loukas Kavouras, Martin Reczko, Stelios Sartzetakis, and Theodore Dalamagas, "SCHeMa: Scheduling Scientific Containers on a Cluster of Heterogeneous Machines," arXiv preprint arXiv:2103.13138, 2021.

[3]  "ELIXIR Greece," [Online]. Available: https://www.elixir-greece.org/. [Accessed 2023].

[4]  "CWL," [Online]. Available: https://www.commonwl.org/. [Accessed 2023].

[5]  "smartHEALTH," [Online]. Available: https://smarthealth-edih.eu/en/. [Accessed 2023].