My Company Uses Tech To Diagnose Rare Childhood Disorders (But You Probably Thought We Just Make Computers)

My Company Uses Tech To Diagnose Rare Childhood Disorders (But You Probably Thought We Just Make Computers)My Company Uses Tech To Diagnose Rare Childhood Disorders (But You Probably Think We Just Make Computers)It was every mothers worst nightmare Stephanie Rankins 5-month-old son Beorn showed signs of a life-altering disorder. But for Rankin, it was a little bit worse. There was no diagnosis. Not from the pediatrician, the neurologist, or any other doctor she would see for a decade.It turns out Rankins son had a rare genetic disorder that caused serious changes in his development. But in order to identify which genetic disorder it was, they would need technology that hadnt even been invented yet.Thats where Dell comes in.Dell Tech Vs. The DiagnosisToday, the leader in this field is the Center for Rare Childhood Disorders at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). Using genetics, neurology, and the complicated science of bioinformatics, they can put together algorithms that diagnose disorders like Beorns. The problem was, when Rankin was looking for answers about Beorn, there werent computers powerful enoughor DNA technology precise enoughto actually run those algorithms.At that time, we were able to examine all the chromosomes under a microscope to see if there were gross structural changes. This would be akin to looking at the earth from outer space and trying to determine if a leaf had fallen off a tree in a forest in California, says Dr. Vinodh Narayanan of TGen, who worked on Beorns case.The technology TGen uses relies on a Dell-designed high-performance computing solution. It runs extremely complex algorithms that analyze terabytes of genetic and molecular data at incredibly high speeds. To put that in perspective, the amount of data in a single terabyte would comprise the paper made from 50,000 trees. And these Dell-powered TGen computers are processing terabytes worth of data to diagnose kids like Beorn.Now we can look at the spelling of a persons genomic DNA at the individual letter levelso thats a billion-fold change in resolution, Dr. Narayanan says. We are able to do this because of the super-computing power that is at TGen. This is thanks to Dell and Dell support.Powering Up Precision MedicineIts about more than just diagnosing the problem, though. Although theres no cure for Beorns disease, thanks to these advances, doctors and researchers are able to design treatments for people with all kinds of rare disorders. This specific tailoring of treatments and therapies to a patients unique genetic makeup is called precision medicine. And it is only made possible by advances in computing and genetic technology.For the Rankin family, the information they received from TGen finally provided peace of mind. We didnt have a diagnosis forever or have a way to help him or advocate for him. There was so much of just not knowing, Rankin says. I worried about my other children. If they were to get married do they have to worr y about their kids having what he has? Now we know it was a spontaneous mutation. It wasnt something that is in ur genes.Now, Rankin isnt fighting the same battle she was 10 years ago. She can advocate for her son and children just like him. She even started her own support group for parents struggling with the same circumstances. Thanks to Rankins hard work, TGens researchers, and Dells innovative technology, children like Beorn and their parents wont have to be in the dark ever againand they can finally hope for a brighter future.Want to work for a company whose employees create technology that can change lives? Dell is hiring on WayUp, so check out their open positions and apply