System, method and program product for management of life sciences data and related research

Abstract

System, method and program product for managing data for researchers. A research data server receives and manages experimental data and research data and results from the researchers, and operates with a virtual storage device to maintain the experimental data and research data and results. A reference data access server receives and manages external reference data relating to the research and operating with the virtual storage device to maintain the external reference data. Computational resources allow researchers to capture, process and analyze experimental data to obtain results. A research data network connects the virtual storage device, research data server, reference data access server and the computational resources to allow transfer of data there between. Security management services authenticate and authorize access by the researchers to the system.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates generally to computer management of data and related research results. More specifically, the present invention relates to computer management of data and related research in life science fields. [0002] Modern life sciences research, such as pharmaceutical research, typically requires applied, iterative, parallel research across many technical disciplines. Modern pharmaceutical research typically involves researchers from biology, genetics, chemistry, clinical and pathology disciplines. The research process is typically iterative, with the results from one discipline being supplied to another discipline, etc. with each discipline analyzing processing the supplied and other data. Heretofore, there have been inadequate computer systems and methods for collaboration between researchers in the different disciplines, and management of the overall process. These problems are exacerbated when large amounts of data are generat...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] According to features of the present invention, the determination of which of the processing applications to invoke and which parameters to supply to these processing applications can be based on a type of function requested by the researcher. The determination of the identities of files containing the data required by the one or more applications can be based on a type of function requested by the researcher. There can also be an application to analyze patterns in respective types of the data, and one of the processing applications receives from the pattern analyzing application a pattern used to perform the requested data processing function. There can also be a program for determining if available data is valid. If not, the available data is not used for the one or more processing applications. If so, the available data is used for the one or more data processing applications. There can also be a program for formatting results of the one or more data processing applications to correspond to respective types of data processing requests.

[0007] According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided another system for managing data for researchers. This other system comprises a virtual storage device including online and near line storage and having policies predefined for moving stored data between the online and near line storage. The system also comprises a research data server for receiving and managing experimental data and research data and results from the researchers and operating with the virtual storage device to maintain the experimental data and research data and results. The system also comprises a reference data access server receiving and managing external reference data relating to the research and operating with the virtual storage device to maintain the external reference data. The system also comprises computational resources for the researchers to capture, process and analyze experimental data to obtain results. The system also comprises a research data network connecting the virtual storage device, research data server, reference data access server and the computational resources to allow transfer of data there between. The research data network further includes security management services to authenticate and authorize access by the researchers to the system.

[0008] This other system may also include a data import controller connected to one or more public data networks (e.g., the Internet) as well as to the research data network. The data import controller is operable to retrieve external reference data from data sources external to the research data network according to one or more policies predefined by the researchers for retrieving external reference data. Also, the computational resources may include a high performance computing server comprising a cluster of homogeneous or hybrid computing resources. Also, the system may include a laboratory information management system connected to the research data network and to one or more laboratory instruments. The laboratory information management system receives experimental data from the laboratory instruments and provides that data to the research data server via the research data network.

[0009] According to another aspect of this other embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method

Problems solved by technology

Heretofore, there have been inadequate computer systems and methods for collaboration between researchers in the different disciplines, and management of the overall process.

These problems are e

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