North Bristol NHS Trust and Bristol Genetics Laboratory deploy Arkivum

Arkivum's  Arkivum/100 service has been deployed by North Bristol NHS Trust to deliver long term, large scale data archiving services for its Bristol Genetics Laboratory, part of Severn Pathology.

Bristol Genetics Laboratory (BGL) has implemented the cloud-based Arkivum/100 service that is initially providing 20TB of long-term data archive storage. The system has facilitated BGL in the storing of gene-sequencing data and digital imaging from the 30,000 genetic investigations it performs every year on a wide range of sample types, using a range of molecular and cytogenetic techniques. BGL is delivering these services to a growing number of its users that have driven the need for long-term data archiving for the very large volumes of data being generated by BGL’s Illumina NextSeq and MiSeq next generation sequencing (NGS) platforms.

To assure the long-term trustworthiness and authenticity of the BGL data that has retention periods measured in multiple decades, the Arkivum system provides a 100% data integrity guarantee through the storage of multiple copies of the data files in geographically disparate UK locations along with an offsite/offline escrow copy lodged with a third-party.

The system deployed by BGL is fully compliant with the stringent requirements of the NHS Information Governance (IG) Toolkit and is delivered via the North Bristol NHS Trust N3 data network portal.

The Bristol Genetics Laboratory is based at the new, state-of-the-art laboratories in the Pathology Science building at Bristol Southmead NHS hospital. It delivers routine genetic testing services to the South West region, a population of approximately 5 million, as well as providing specialist, and highly specialised services to the rest of the UK and internationally.

“Big data is becoming a very real challenge for all genetics laboratories, not just Bristol Genetics Laboratory and North Bristol NHS Trust,” explained Eileen Roberts, Consultant Clinical Scientist, Bristol Genetics Laboratory. “Over the next two years, we’ll generate more than 30TB of data from NGS services alone. The true value of that data is not yet known so we need to store it for the very long-term to be able to access and interrogate it over time as new data analysis techniques are developed. Long-term archiving from Arkivum provides us with the ability to hold the data for as long as we require while guaranteeing its integrity and trustworthiness.”

“Working with healthcare providers to store sensitive patient data is becoming more and more important," commented Mark Ellis, VP Sales at Arkivum. "The Bristol Genetics Laboratory sponsored our connection to the N3 network as they recognised the need for a scalable, accessible, yet highly secure archiving solution. For the NHS and healthcare as a whole, it is crucial to be able to store data for the whole life of the patient and perhaps beyond. But, not only store the data, but provide a guarantee that every bit of the original data is always going to be available so as to realise the true value of the data in the future.”