Bioinformatics and Beyond: May 2024

Hello!

Welcome to the May Bioinformatics and Beyond newsletter! We are now over a third of the way through 2024 ??

Since that's too scary to dwell on, let's get right to the bioinformatics!

Today, we are going to look at some of the top reasons for outsourcing bioinformatics.

What are the top reasons to outsource bioinformatics analyses?

There are 4 main reasons to outsource bioinformatics. Let's start with the most obvious one:

No in-house resource

For smaller biotech companies with budget pressures and no in-house bioinformatics expertise, hiring bioinformaticians to deal with sporadic analysis requirements is unlikely to be cost-efficient.

It makes more commercial sense to outsource ad-hoc projects instead of hiring full-time bioinformaticians who might not be fully utilised for significant periods of time. Outsourcing as and when required allows a company to streamline its daily operations. It also provides the peace of mind that analysis resources are available when needed, but won't drain funds during downtimes.

Not enough in-house resource

Like buses, large datasets requiring analysis always seem to arrive all at once. This can make it tough to juggle priorities and meet internal expectations. The solution is to outsource overspill during busy times. Outsourcing analysis tasks that might otherwise face delays or remain unfinished, guarantees that all projects are seen through to completion. What's more, any data generated will still be analysed, ensuring a return on the data-generation investment.

Internally, it's crucial to prioritise projects, and bringing in external support when needed ensures lower-priority tasks don't get stuck waiting for internal resources to become available. Outsourcing analysis helps streamline research plans and opens up resources for other important work.

Also, by outsourcing bioinformatics when bottlenecks arise, companies can choose which projects to tackle in-house and which are best suited for external expertise. Plus, outsourcing offers flexibility – projects of any size and complexity can be outsourced.

Different expertise

Outsourcing data analysis offers a valuable advantage: expanding the available pool of expertise. Internal teams may be small or specialise in certain areas like oncology or specific technologies like NGS. When a company needs to branch out into a new area, pivot research focus, or tackle unfamiliar datasets, outsourcing is a straightforward solution that brings in fresh expertise in diverse data types and therapeutic areas.

Independent verification

A final reason to outsource bioinformatics is to obtain impartial, independent verification of in-house results. Having a third-party confirm in-house findings offers an added layer of assurance. External bioinformaticians can double-check in-house findings before critical decisions are made, providing peace of mind.

There, now you know the 4 main reasons why organisations outsource bioinformatics. At Fios Genomics we see a good mix of all 4 of these, but we do notice trends. For example, smaller biotechs tend to outsource their bioinformatics needs due to a need for a more diverse expertise. Meanwhile, large pharma companies might need support to juggle competing analysis projects or want to increase internal expertise.

(Have a bioinformatics project to outsource? Fios Genomics can help - contact us for more info!)

Before you go, here's something interesting I learned recently. The modern Olympics used to award medals for art. In fact, medals were awarded for painting, sculpture, architecture, literature and music. The first Olympics that solicited submissions in these categories was the 1912 Stockholm Games. The last Olympic art medals were awarded at the London 1948 Games.

Thanks for reading!

-Breige McBride,?Content and Social Media Manager, Fios Genomics