NAKSHATRA

NAKSHATRA Latest News

Recently, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has introduced its first high-performance computing facility NAKSHATRA at its National Institute of Virology (NIV) facility in Pune.

About NAKSHATRA

• It is the state-of-the-art high performance computing (HPC) cluster for virological research.
• The NAKSHATRA cluster includes 12 compute nodes, 700 cores, and a total storage capacity of 1 petabyte.
• It will support advanced bioinformatics workflows such as next-generation sequencing (NGS), transcriptomics, metagenomics, phylogenetics, and structural bioinformatics.
• It enables enhanced storage and optimises the pipeline for genomic research, which ensures better viral genomic surveillance capacity and national preparedness for any future pandemic. 
• The facility supports faster analysis of complex genomic data, allowing scientists to detect new disease threats sooner, respond to outbreaks more efficiently, and accelerate AI-driven vaccine and drug development.
• Developed under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PMABHIM), the facility forms the cornerstone of a new project, called the High Performance Computing Next Generation Sequencing Hub.
• The facility will also act as a central repository for sequencing data and extend support to Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs). Initially, it will cater to five ICMR institutes across the country.

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Significance of NAKSHATRA Facility

• Previously sequence analysis using multiple strains which used to take weeks with the upgrade researchers can do the same work in 24 to 48 hours.
• It has increased the capability of our country for genomic surveillance, which will help us in pandemic preparedness.

Source: TH