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Gainotti S, Torreri P, Wang CM, Reihs R, Mueller H, Heslop E, Roos M, Badowska DM, de Paulis F, Kodra Y, Carta C, Martìn EL, Miller VR, Filocamo M, Mora M, Thompson M, Rubinstein Y, Posada de la Paz M, Monaco L, Lochmüller H, Taruscio D. The RD-Connect Registry & Biobank Finder: a tool for sharing aggregated data and metadata among rare disease researchers. Eur J Hum Genet 2018; 26:631-643. [PMID: 29396563 PMCID: PMC5945774 DOI: 10.1038/s41431-017-0085-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In rare disease (RD) research, there is a huge need to systematically collect biomaterials, phenotypic, and genomic data in a standardized way and to make them findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR). RD-Connect is a 6 years global infrastructure project initiated in November 2012 that links genomic data with patient registries, biobanks, and clinical bioinformatics tools to create a central research resource for RDs. Here, we present RD-Connect Registry & Biobank Finder, a tool that helps RD researchers to find RD biobanks and registries and provide information on the availability and accessibility of content in each database. The finder concentrates information that is currently sparse on different repositories (inventories, websites, scientific journals, technical reports, etc.), including aggregated data and metadata from participating databases. Aggregated data provided by the finder, if appropriately checked, can be used by researchers who are trying to estimate the prevalence of a RD, to organize a clinical trial on a RD, or to estimate the volume of patients seen by different clinical centers. The finder is also a portal to other RD-Connect tools, providing a link to the RD-Connect Sample Catalogue, a large inventory of RD biological samples available in participating biobanks for RD research. There are several kinds of users and potential uses for the RD-Connect Registry & Biobank Finder, including researchers collaborating with academia and the industry, dealing with the questions of basic, translational, and/or clinical research. As of November 2017, the finder is populated with aggregated data for 222 registries and 21 biobanks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabina Gainotti
- Bioethics Unit, Office of the President, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
- National Center for Rare Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
| | - Paola Torreri
- National Center for Rare Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Robert Reihs
- Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Heimo Mueller
- Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Emma Heslop
- John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Marco Roos
- Human Genetics Department, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Dorota Mazena Badowska
- John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Federico de Paulis
- National Center for Rare Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Yllka Kodra
- National Center for Rare Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Carta
- National Center for Rare Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Estrella Lopez Martìn
- Institute of Rare Diseases Research (IIER) & Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Mirella Filocamo
- Centro di diagnostica genetica e biochimica delle malattie metaboliche, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Marina Mora
- Neuromuscular Diseases and Neuroimmunology Unit, Fondazione Istituto Neurologico C. Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Mark Thompson
- Human Genetics Department, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Yaffa Rubinstein
- Office of Health Information Programs Development, National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Manuel Posada de la Paz
- Institute of Rare Diseases Research (IIER) & Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Hanns Lochmüller
- John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Domenica Taruscio
- National Center for Rare Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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