NeuroGrid up and running at Florey Institute

Reseachers at the Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne are developing computing systems capable of storing and analysing large datasets from MRI scans of the brain, using grid computing technology to improve data management and analysis.

The facility, known as Neurogrid, uses a computer cluster with a grid interface developed for neuroimaging applications, and grid tools to store, access, retrieve, and manage neuroimaging databases, said Dr Gary Egan, who heads the project.

"NeuroGrid can analyse image datasets using grid-enabled analysis tools, which provides us with answers in hours, to complex problems that formerly took days," Egan said.

The researchers have been using the system to examine subtle correlations between structural brain abnormalities and abnormal brain function in premature brain development, and in brain disorders such as Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease.

While the group has to date been working with datasets generated in-house, the next step is to expand the grid capabilities to combine datasets.

"We've established a facility at the National Neuroscience Facility that has the architecture -- the hardware and software -- to enable sharing of data, but it's all our data at the moment," Egan said.

Last week the team, in collaboration with Dr Raj Buyya of the University of Melbourne's Grid Computing and Distributed Systems Laboratory, received an AUD$1 million grant from the Australian Research Council to develop a supercomputer MRI grid computer facility that would allow the sharing of data from different sites.

Egan said the supercomputer grid facility would take around 18 months to develop, including a six-month period to procure the hardware and software required. "It will be late 2006 before we're in a position to provide access to nodes around the country," he said.

Ultimately, NeuroGrid will be accessible through the internet, allowing researchers to access and analyse data remotely.

"Creating neuroimaging databases allows researchers throughout the world to collaborate more effectively by using their datasets collectively, which can lead to new findings," Egan said.

The grid facility has been established at the National Neurosciences Facility by the Florey Institute and Neurosciences Victoria.