Pluto Biosciences is commercializing OrbitSeq, a digital platform that provides life sciences researchers with powerful data tools in a collaborative digital environment to help speed up the pace of discovery.
The Problem
Scientific research generates large volumes of data, most of which are housed in incompatible formats on individual researchers’ devices or cloud-based storage accounts. The large size of many raw datasets makes it impractical to send them to collaborators directly, so many researchers create, export, and share the results of experiments using a variety of software tools that are difficult to use and do not interface with each other. In addition to slowing down the pace of research and collaboration both within and between labs, this lack of coordination makes it very challenging for the leaders of larger labs to maintain a high-level view of all the experiments taking place under their jurisdiction.
Our Solution
OrbitSeq is a digital platform developed as part of the Wyss Institute’s Predictive BioAnalytics Initiative that combines the intuitive design of popular project management apps with native biological data storage and analysis, all within a collaborative environment that makes it easy for researchers to upload, analyze, annotate, and keep track of experiments. OrbitSeq’s simple drag-and-drop interface allows scientists to quickly generate plots from their low- or high-throughput assay data, and includes access to thousands of publicly available datasets for easy comparison. It also interfaces directly with bioinformatics services and next-generation sequencing core data, eliminating the need for large data transfer systems and other common obstacles in the path of scientific discovery and innovation.
Impact
In July 2021, OrbitSeq was licensed to Wyss startup Pluto Biosciences, founded by Wyss Lumineer Rani Powers, Ph.D. Pluto Bio is developing the platform into a product that scientists in academia and industry can use to manage and analyze their own data, as well as easily share their results with collaborators.