Next Generation Bio Database System based on Interstage Shunsaku Data Manager

The National Institute of Genetics Develops Next Generation Bio Database System based on Interstage Shunsaku Data Manager

The National Institute of Genetics (NIG), also known as Idenken, was established in 1949. Idenken is one of the inter-university institutes in Japan, carrying out genetic research. In its Center for Information Biology, Idenken runs the DNA Data Bank of Japan (CIB-DDBJ), which serves as center for genetic research. The NIG, together with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the United States National Institutes of Health, run the world's three major DNA databanks. Collectively, they form the world's largest repository of genomic and genetic data.

Complexity beyond Comprehension

Idenken stores publicly available information related to life science from the Patent Office, as well as all data developed by Japan’s government agencies in regards to genome projects.

Idenken’s database currently holds 35 million records, including DNA patterns of 39.8 billion bases (equivalent to 200 years of newspapers), and continues to grow at an explosive rate – almost doubling every year. With over 10,000 users accessing the database every day, a faster DNA database was essential for Idenken to capture and maintain the lead position in the fiercely competitive world of R&D in biotech. The impending growth of data, the impressive number of users, the need for flexible query structures and faster response times were the factors which required Idenken to enhance its system.

Next Generation Bio Database System based on Interstage Shunsaku Data Manager
Idenken and Fujitsu collaborated on the development of a next-generation database system. The goal was to develop a research and business platform for the post-genome era of biotechnology. Idenken and Fujitsu created the world's fastest database system, which is now considered the de-facto standard for the field.

The new system was based on Fujitsu's Interstage Shunsaku Data Manager, a culmination of more than 10 years of research. The solution for Idenken supports queries of massive amounts of data by a very large number of users. While facilitating the world’s fastest search performance, it also extends the flexibility of search requests.

The system allows more in-depth research than ever before by operating and extracting data about any body part, such as organs, tissues, cells and molecules. It also enables a way to personalize medicine. Personalized medicine may be the key to curing cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other diseases, as well as shortening the development cycle for new drugs. Enabled by the ubiquitous computing era, the new system, based on Interstage Shunsaku Data Manager, will bring us closer to unprecedented achievements in healthcare.

Leading Genetic Research into New Generation
The prototype of the new system, installed at Idenken's Center for Information Biology and DNA Data Bank of Japan (CIB-DDBJ), is scheduled to be publicly available by the end of 2004. Previously, the search system was served by a relational database, taking an average of 10 minutes to execute a limited 2-3 keyword search. The prototype system, built on Interstage Shunsaku Data Manager, has already slashed the 10 minute response time to 5 seconds. Additionally, the time required processing newly added data or updated data has been shortened. The former system needed 2-3 days to index the data before it became available for searching. With Interstage Shunsaku Data Manager, the update process has been dramatically reduced to just 1 hour. This immediate availability of updated data is essential for impacting progress in genetic research by the worldwide research community.

For more information about Fujitsu’s Interstage Shunsaku Data Manager or the entire family of Interstage products, visit www.fujitsu.com/interstage.