From Compliance Risk to Research Confidence — How Opsfolio CaaS Strengthened Local-First Research at DRH Edge

Introduction

The Diabetes Research Hub (DRH) is a platform designed to make diabetes research more transparent, reproducible, and collaborative. It provides a standardized framework for managing, analyzing, and sharing complex clinical data across studies and institutions.

A cornerstone of this platform is DRH Edge—a local-first environment that runs directly on a researcher’s machine. Unlike cloud-only systems, DRH Edge is built to securely handle sensitive Protected Health Information (PHI), enabling researchers to work directly with raw CGM, meal, and fitness data in a compliant way.

Background

Researchers without DRH Edge struggled with manual workflows: raw device files in spreadsheets, ad hoc scripts for calculations, and little documentation for provenance. This created three core risks:

• Audit risks: No reproducible logs or traceable lineage of calculations.
• Regulatory uncertainty: Compliance reviews slowed or stalled due to missing documentation.
• Engineering inefficiency: Time lost reconciling inconsistent formats and fixing data errors.

Researchers needed a secure, structured, and reproducible workflow that transformed raw PHI into analyzable databases—while satisfying regulatory standards and enabling exploratory science.

Solution: Opsfolio CaaS at DRH Edge

Opsfolio CaaS introduced surveilr-powered automation and compliance-by-design into DRH Edge.

File-to-Database Automation

DRH Edge organizes participant-level data in standardized folder structures (e.g., CGM, meal, fitness). Surveilr converts these exports into structured SQLite databases, ensuring consistent ingestion across studies.

End-to-End Workflow

Using TypeScript and SQL, researchers transform data and compute metrics such as GRI, MAGE, CONGA, J-Index, and more. Results are rendered in a UI via SQLPage, producing visualizations like AGP curves and stacked data graphs.

Traceable Provenance

Every step—from ingestion to transformation to visualization—is logged, making the process auditable, reproducible, and regulator-ready.

By embedding these capabilities, Opsfolio turned DRH Edge into a trusted local environment where sensitive PHI could be analyzed securely and reproducibly.

Results

• Improved Engineering Quality: Standardized ingestion reduced human error and accelerated analysis.
• Compliance Built-In: Audit readiness was automatic—no extra steps for researchers.
• Accelerated Science: SQLite outputs and visualizations sped up manuscript preparation.

Unobvious Wins

• Surfaced subtle device export inconsistencies researchers hadn’t noticed.
• Standardized databases enabled AI integration (e.g., Vanna AI) for querying and insights.
• Boosted researcher confidence—teams felt ready for both publication and regulatory scrutiny.

Challenges & Trade-offs

Balancing speed vs. auditability was the hardest challenge. Researchers wanted fast results, compliance demanded full traceability. Opsfolio’s design made compliance invisible yet enforced, striking a balance that won over skeptical researchers.

Customer Impact (De-identified)

With Opsfolio CaaS in DRH Edge, researchers gained:

• Trust: PHI stayed local and secure.
• Audit Readiness: Every step documented and reproducible.
• Confidence: Publications carried stronger credibility.
• Acceleration: Faster research-to-publication timelines.

Conclusion

Opsfolio CaaS transformed DRH Edge from a local research tool with compliance risks into a trusted, auditable, and efficient research hub.

By embedding compliance into the everyday workflow, researchers could move faster, innovate more, and still meet the highest standards of transparency and reproducibility.