UHN's Bioinformatics and HPC Core

The Core, founded in 2016, originates from the Bioinformatics group, established within the Princess Margaret Genomics Centre (PMGC) in 2003. The BHPC currently offers services for high-throughput data, including sequencing and data analysis.

How does the BHPC Core optimize its resources for research advancements?

The BHPC Core provides access to 108 compute nodes, 4000+ CPU cores, 25TB of RAM, and 22 GPU nodes with NVIDIA GPUs. The facility has a vast 3.6PB of storage through Dell/EMC PowerScale. HPC4Health, a consortium that provides researchers and clinicians with cloud-based high-performance computing, ensures scalability during peak demand periods, offering consistent and secure data processing. With a commitment to privacy and a management framework based on OpenStack, the system supports varied virtual environments. Collaborations with Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure extend cloud-based HPC services, underlining a commitment to comprehensive research.

How does the BHPC core manage data collaboration within UHN and ensure secure access to external datasets?

The BHPC core manages data from four sequencing centers and provides advanced computing resources to 88 Principal Investigator groups. Partnering with MOHCCN- Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres, it promotes regional data sharing. Prioritizing security, the core ensures safe data archiving and controls access to datasets like EGA and dbGap.

How does the BHPC Core interact with the broader research community and manage challenges to ensure successful project outcomes?

The BHPC Core provides bioinformatics services externally while limiting HPC services to UHN members. The Core's involvement with the Digital Research Alliance of Canada highlights their dedication to Canada's digital research progress. As part of this engagement, BHPC frequently contributes expertise to Canadian Bioinformatics Workshops. Facing challenges like storage constraints for extensive NGS data, the team collaborates with Digital Servers and Storage, exploring alternative solutions for efficient and cost-effective data management and adapting to evolving needs in collaboration with HPC4Health.

What is the future trajectory and innovation roadmap for the BHPC Core Team?

To stay at the forefront of innovation, the BHPC consistently collaborates with FM-PRO and in-house researchers to ensure the computing infrastructure remains updated and expanded, especially during grant applications. For a deeper understanding of the BHPC Team or any inquiries, reach out to us at hpc_support@uhnresearch.ca or explore our website at https://bhpc.uhnresearch.ca.