News Feature | July 29, 2015

Researchers Demand Cloud-Based Genomic Data

Katie Wike

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Data Governance, Security Concerns Drive Adoption Of Private Cloud Solutions

According to researchers across the world, its high time health agencies develop a genomic data repository based in the cloud.

Experts across the globe are joining forces to urge governments and agencies that a world-wide cloud-based database of genomic data could further research. According to an article in Nature, using the cloud to store such data would be cost effective and time saving.

Fierce Health IT reports the International Cancer Genome Consortium, which consists of groups from 17 countries, has amassed two petabytes of data, or roughly 500,000 DVDs worth of data, in a period of five years. Using a typical university Internet connection, this process would take more than 15 months and on top of that, the hardware to just store it would cost more than $1 million.

“Currently a great deal of valuable time and money is spent by researchers transferring data from a repository to their own preferred server, instead of easily and cheaply tapping into a global data commons whenever they need to,” said Dr. Lincoln Stein, Director of the Informatics and Bio-computing Program at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, leader of the ICGC’s Data Coordination Center in Toronto and a lead author on the paper in an announcement. “We encourage a larger investment in the cloud in order to use public funds more effectively and to help accelerate the pace of genomics research.”

Using major cloud services such as from Google, Microsoft and Amazon would be as secure as most academic data centers, if not more so, explain researchers. Within the cloud, data would then only need to be copied once and researchers would only have to pay for temporary storage while the analysis was in progress. Access would be granted only to authorized researchers.

“Having authorized access procedures in place ensures respect for the wishes of data donors, including that their data be used safely and securely,” said Dr. Bartha Knoppers, Director of the Centre of Genomics and Policy, McGill University. “Applying the Framework for Responsible Sharing of Genomic and Health-Related Data is a first step in enacting the human right of citizens to benefit from scientific advances and of scientists to be recognized for their work.”