The European biobank network BBMRI-ERIC offers two new tools for biomedical researchers on a “Federated Platform”: the “Locator” and the “Finder”. These tools enable researchers to locate relevant biospecimens and data across Europe, form virtual cohorts and perform federated analyses. Data protection is guaranteed as only aggregated information leaves the contributing sites.
Locator: “a transnational, virtual biobank”
The “BBMRI-ERIC Locator” is based on the “Sample Locator”, which was launched by the German Biobank Node (GBN) in October 2019. The German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) in Heidelberg has further developed the tool in collaboration with European biobanks and other stakeholders. As with the Sample Locator, researchers can use the BBMRI-ERIC Locator to search for biosamples and associated data using various parameters – basic criteria such as the diagnosis of the sample donor, gender or age, but also sample-specific information such as the storage temperature of the samples. The Locator shows how many of the searched samples are currently available and in which locations. To find out how many of these samples are actually available for their research, researchers can use the linked “Negotiator” tool to contact the biobanks of their choice directly. “The Locator brings BBMRI-ERIC a decisive step closer to its vision of combining European biobanks into a transnational virtual biobank that can be requested in real time,” says Prof. Dr. Martin Lablans, IT head at the DKFZ.
Federated data
The name of the Federated Platform says it all: it uses only federated data. This means that data stays at the sites rather than being stored centrally. This avoidance of unnecessary centralisation is particularly beneficial in terms of data protection. At the same time, it ensures that data is always up to date and avoids duplicate data storage. “The participating sites retain full control over their samples and data,” says Dr. Cecilia Engels, IT coordinator at GBN. Prof. Dr. Petr Holub, Chief Information Officer at BBMRI-ERIC, explains: “You are not exporting the data to somewhere else. Instead, you install a connector, a component, that allows queries to come in, be processed on the data locally in the biobank, and anonymise the results.”
Finder analysis tool
While the Locator is designed to find specific samples and data in biobanks, the Finder is also an analysis tool for clinical phenotypic and genomic data. The more than 200,000 genomes already included are a huge treasure. It is possible to search for genomic information and perform genome-wide and phenome-wide association studies (GWAS and PheWAS).
Collaboration and visibility
“We work exclusively with open source software,” says Dr. Zdenka Dudová, co-leader of the Federated Platform Task Force of BBMRI-ERIC and GBN IT coordinator. “This not only ensures the sustainable use of public funds, but also enables joint development with European partners.” Another benefit of the platform is the increased visibility of the participating biobanks. “When biobanks make their collections available through the Federated Platform, they can contribute to larger EU projects and other collaborations and thus generate new funding,” says Dudová.
GBN Director Prof. Dr. Michael Hummel sees great potential in the Federated Platform: “The platform not only promises significant progress for medical research, but also demonstrates a commitment to improved collaboration at the European level. The ability to efficiently share resources and perform joint analyses is very valuable for the research community”.
About BBMRI-ERIC
BBMRI-ERIC is a pan-European infrastructure of national biobank networks. The acronym BBMRI-ERIC stands for “Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure – European Research Infrastructure Consortium”. GBN represents the interests of German biobanks as a “National Node”.
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