IT Solutions

Information Technology (IT) plays a critical role in the realization of personalized medicine. Rapidly falling DNA sequencing cost is enabling laboratories to generate data at an ever increasing rate. The management of these data, and the knowledge that surrounds them, has been a growing challenge in the research context for some time. This challenge has now expanded to managing patient genetic profiles in the clinical environment as well.

The PCPGM IT team has developed a rich suite of applications designed to meet these challenges. These applications enable and support biobanking operations, genetic research, clinical operations, translational medicine, and the management of patient genetic profiles. These systems are focused on increasing quality, reducing the costs and enabling new research and clinical processes that would not be possible without integrated IT support.

Hewlett Packard generously provides substantial hardware and services including a globally distributed software development team that assists the center with information systems development.

Some of the applications we maintain include:

• The GeneInsight Suite^SM – Facilitates the management of clinical genetic knowledge, the generation of interpretive reports, delivery of reports to clinicians, and alerting as new information is learned about variants previously identified in patients. The GeneInsight Suite includes the GeneInsight Lab^SM and the GeneInsight Clinic^SM applications.
• GIGPAD – Developed in collaboration with HP, GIGPAD supports research and clinical genetic workflow.
• Enterprise Master Specimen Index – Tracks samples across a complex distributed enterprise. The EMSI is available as an open-source application.
• Crimson – Developed by Daedalus Software in collaboration with the BWH Pathology Department, Crimson identifies, collects, de-identifies, processes, and distributes discarded samples.
• Consent Tracking – Tracks research consent status across the enterprise.

Our team has delivered the following white paper to describe our strategy to groups studying personalized medicine: RFI Response for HHS: Improving Health and Accelerating Personalized Health Care through Health Information Technology and Genomic Information in Population- and Community-based Health Care Delivery Systems.