Overview
NCI needed a fast, scalable way to manage and serve large-scale biological data. Researchers required immediate, secure access to this data to accelerate scientific discovery.
ESI met the challenge by implementing Bento, a modular open-source platform. In just six weeks, we launched a fully functional data commons that runs securely both in the cloud and on local infrastructure.
The Challenge
The NCI’s Cancer Research Data Commons specifically was launched to answer the Cancer MoonshootSM initiative’s call to accelerate the access and sharing of cancer research data, but it faced two key problems. First, it needed to support the full range of large-scale biological data (e.g., sequencing, proteomics, flow-cytometry, etc.). Second, researchers needed to have ready access to these data to help speed scientific discovery, which meant it needed to be secure and fast.
The Solution
ESI’s solution was to use “Bento,” an open-source software, which enabled NCI to launch a fully functioning data commons within 6 weeks. We built Bento to work on both local servers and in the AWS and Google Cloud platforms. And, data access is role-based meaning that NCI was able to assign researchers different levels of access depending on their specific roles and needs, giving them the highest level of security.
Because Bento is modular, with each component fully tested and validated, it can support a range of data sets without the need for additional coding or lengthy testing. For example, both the Integrated Canine Data Commons and Clinical Trial Data Commons were launched with Bento despite having distinct data sets from different species.
Furthermore, our Bento model is schema-less, meaning it can be easily extended to accommodate new nodes and data types, without needing to tamper with the original model.
You can learn more about the core data model and our extended BENTO_TAILORx on Github.
The Results
Bento’s modular architecture enabled NCI to support a wide range of biological data sets without custom coding or prolonged validation cycles. Its schema-less design made the platform adaptable, allowing new data types and nodes to be added without modifying the core model, ensuring long-term flexibility and scalability.
With our approach, NCI dramatically reduced the time required to launch a data commons. What once took months can now be achieved in a fraction of the time, but with the same level of security. Since the initial deployment, four new components have been integrated into the Cancer Research Data Commons, demonstrating Bento’s ability to grow alongside evolving research needs.
Ready to Make an Impact?
See Bento in use with the Integrated Canine Data Commons
Our one-click deployment process is integrated into the Bento framework, helping you launch a fully functioning data portal to the cloud in six weeks.
Explore how ESI solutions speed access to research data
Let’s talk about how we can help you build a secure, scalable platform that speeds up insights and drives scientific discovery.
Team Members
Connect and Share
