title: QuickNGS elevates Next-Generation Sequencing data analysis to a new level of automation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) has emerged as a widely used tool in molecular biology. While time and cost for the sequencing itself are decreasing, the analysis of the massive amounts of data remains challenging. Since multiple algorithmic approaches for the basic data analysis have been developed, there is now an increasing need to efficiently use these tools to obtain results in reasonable time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We have developed QuickNGS, a new workflow system for laboratories with the need to analyze data from multiple NGS projects at a time. QuickNGS takes advantage of parallel computing resources, a comprehensive back-end database, and a careful selection of previously published algorithmic approaches to build fully automated data analysis workflows. We demonstrate the efficiency of our new software by a comprehensive analysis of 10 RNA-Seq samples which we can finish in only a few minutes of hands-on time. The approach we have taken is suitable to process even much larger numbers of samples and multiple projects at a time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our approach considerably reduces the barriers that still limit the usability of the powerful NGS technology and finally decreases the time to be spent before proceeding to further downstream analysis and interpretation of the data.
authors.affiliation: Bioinformatics Core Facility, CECAD Research Center, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 26, 50931, Cologne, Germany. prerana.wagle@uk-koeln.de.
authors.forename: Prerana
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wagle
authors.affiliation: Bioinformatics Core Facility, CECAD Research Center, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 26, 50931, Cologne, Germany. m.nikolic@uni-koeln.de.|Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Str. 21, Cologne, 50931, Germany. m.nikolic@uni-koeln.de.
authors.forename: Miloš
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nikolić
authors.affiliation: Bioinformatics Core Facility, CECAD Research Center, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 26, 50931, Cologne, Germany. peter.frommolt@uni-koeln.de.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Frommolt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057205:Automation, Laboratory; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA / Q000379:methods*; D012984:Software; D013997:Time Factors; D057188:Workflow