Implementing a genomic data management system using iRODS in the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Bioinformatics
• Data Management

Background:

• The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (WTSI) faces challenges managing vast amounts of DNA sequencing data.
• Traditional file systems are inadequate for the scale of genomic data.
• A robust data management system is crucial for WTSI's sequencing pipeline and data tracking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and integrate a new data management system at WTSI.
• To describe the design and utilization of iRODS from system and user perspectives.
• To detail challenges and solutions during iRODS implementation.

Main Methods:

• Selected and implemented iRODS (Integrated Rule-Oriented Data System) as the data management solution.
• Utilized iRODS's rule-based system for data replication and protection.
• Leveraged iRODS's comprehensive and customizable metadata system.

Main Results:

• iRODS has been successfully implemented as the production system for WTSI's sequencing pipeline.
• Enhanced data replication and protection capabilities were achieved.
• Users can now define and query custom application-level metadata for genomic data.

Conclusions:

• iRODS effectively addresses WTSI's data management challenges for large-scale sequencing data.
• Biologists and IT experts can now track and manage data efficiently.
• The system enables novel approaches for querying genomic data using custom metadata.