RNAnow

RNAnow is a cloud-based platform for RNA data analysis designed to streamline the processing and interpretation of RNA sequencing data. It provides end-to-end pipelines that cover quality control, read alignment, transcript quantification, and downstream analyses, with an emphasis on accessibility for researchers who may lack extensive computational resources.

Features include modular pipelines for standard bulk and single-cell RNA-Seq, support for common formats (FASTQ, BAM, counts), built-in QC tools, splice-aware alignment, expression quantification, differential expression, clustering, and gene-set enrichment. The platform offers interactive dashboards, audit trails, and reproducible workflows via containerization and workflow management, plus an API for programmatic access and collaboration features for teams.

Workflow involves uploading data, selecting pipelines or customizing steps, running on cloud compute, and monitoring progress to download results such as expression matrices, plots, and reports. RNAnow emphasizes reproducibility with versioned workflows and containerized images, and it supports project-level organization and user permissions.

Development and scope: RNAnow is developed by a multidisciplinary team of software engineers and bioinformaticians, aiming to democratize RNA analysis for biology and medicine research. It supports multiple species and reference annotations and is updated to add new methods and enhanced privacy controls for sensitive data handling.

Reception and limitations: Users note that RNAnow reduces setup time and improves reproducibility, making it popular in teaching labs and small research groups. Limitations include reliance on network access, potential data privacy considerations, and the need to validate pipeline choices for specialized experiments.

See also RNA sequencing, bioinformatics pipelines, differential expression analysis.