SIB provides expert support in research data management internationally thanks to various large-scale European collaborations involving academic institutions as well as the industry, notably led by the Vital-IT Computational Biology group. These projects tackle major public health issues such as diabetes, obesity, cancer or rheumatic diseases. Our role spans from acting as Data Coordination Centre to developing innovative solutions to leverage sensitive data and fostering the adoption of FAIR principles.

A key actor for large European public-private partnerships tackling major public health issues

As a Data Coordination Centre or as a provider of cutting-edge bioinformatics expertise (e.g. integrative data analysis, database and web development), SIB is a key player in a dozen of large European projects looking at harnessing the power of big data to fight public health issues. Explore some of them below and find out what expertise we offer in each. 

SIB is leading or involved in over

10

European projects, which span

20

countries and each include about 

20

public institutions and 

5

pharmaceutical companies

Cancer

IMMUcan

Type: Innovative Medicines Initiative, European Union’s Horizon 2020 

Aim: Understand how the immune system and tumours interact, and the impact of therapeutic interventions 

Our role: Knowledge management system; data processing pipelines for exome sequencing; integrative -omics analysis 

Among the companies involved: 

  • MERCK 
  • ABBVIE INC 
  • BAYER 
  • ELI LILLY 
  • GLAXOSMITHKLINE 
  • JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICA NV 
  • SANOFI-AVENTIS RECHERCHE & DEVELOPPEMENT 

Visit the project page

Cardiovascular diseases

iCARE4CVD

Type: Innovative Medicines Initiative

Aim: To better understand cardiovascular disease and personalize its future prevention and treatment

Our role: Contributing expertise in data management and harmonization to create federated databases and enable AI-supported analysis of multiple cohorts.

Among the companies involved:

  • Novo Nordisk
  • Astra Zeneca
  • Lilly
  • Catalyze
  • IMEC
  • DECENTRIQ
  • Huawei
  • Philips
  • Human Technopole

Read more

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Diabetes and complications

BEAt-DKD

Type: Innovative Medicines Initiative, European Union’s Horizon 2020 

Aim: Provide a holistic systems medicine view of the pathogenesis of Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD), to identify targetable mechanisms and pathways underlying initiation and progression of the disease, applying a novel sub-classification of diabetes. And to identify and validate biomarkers of disease progression and treatment responses representing first steps towards precision medicine in the management of DKD. 

Our role: Coordination of bioinformatics activities; Set up of federated database for remote data analysis; -omics data analysis 

Among the companies involved: 

  • ASTELLAS PHARMA EUROPE BV 
  • ELI LILLY AND COMPANY LTD 
  • Bayer Pharma AG 
  • NOVO NORDISK A/S 
  • BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM INTERNATIONAL GMBH 

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CARDIATEAM

Type: Innovative Medicines Initiative, European Union’s Horizon 2020 

Aim: Assess the uniqueness of diabetic cardiomyopathy relative to other forms of heart failure using unbiased pheno-mapping approaches  

Our role: Data coordination center, multi-omics integration, statistical analysis 

Among the companies involved 

  • BAYER AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT 

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Hypo-RESOLVE

Type: Innovative Medicines Initiative, European Union’s Horizon 2020 

Aim: Investigate hypoglycaemia and its impact in diabetes 

Our role: Data integration and clinical data harmonisation of 96 clinical trials; set up of secure database and remote analysis server 

Among the companies involved: 

  • NOVO NORDISK A/S 
  • ELI LILLY AND COMPANY LTD 
  • ABBOTT DIABETES CARE 
  • MEDTRONIC INTERNATIONAL TRADING SARL 

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RHU QUID-NASH

Type: Recherche Hospitalo-Universitaire (France) 

Aim: Develop a virtual (non invasive) liver biopsy for the diagnosis and staging of Non Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis (NASH) in patients with type 2 diabetes  

Our role: Data coordination center; multiomics integration 

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RHAPSODY

Type: Innovative Medicines Initiative, European Union’s Horizon 2020 

Description: Using precision medicine approaches that take into account the patient's biological characteristics to optimize type 2 diabetes disease prevention and treatment. 

Our role: Set up of federated database for remote data analysis; multiomics data analysis; biomarker discovery 

Among the companies involved: 

  • INSTITUT DE RECHERCHES SERVIER 
  • JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICA NV 
  • NOVO NORDISK A/S 
  • ELI LILLY AND COMPANY LTD 

Read more 

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Obesity

OBELISK

Type: Research and Innovation Actions 

Aim: Enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which causative factors interact to drive (or prevent) the transition from normal weight to obesity during childhood. 

Our role: Set up of federated database of childhood obesity cohorts and perform integrative multi-omics analysis for patient clustering and biomarkers discovery 

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SOPHIA

  • Type: Innovative Medicines Initiative, European Union’s Horizon 2020 

Aim: Enable healthcare professionals to reliably predict the complications of obesity and who will respond to treatment 

Our role: Set up of federated database for remote data analysis 

Among the companies involved 

  • NOVO NORDISK A/S 
  • BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM INTERNATIONAL GMBH 
  • MEDTRONIC INTERNATIONAL TRADING SARL 
  • ELI LILLY AND COMPANY LTD 
  • PFIZER LIMITED 

Read more

Visit the project page

Rheumatic diseases

ENDOTARGET

Type: European Union’s Horizon Europe 

Aim: Find biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets for arthritis 

Our role: FAIR data management; clinical data harmonisation; microbiome analysis 

Read more 

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HIPPOCRATES

Type: Innovative Medicines Initiative, European Union’s Horizon 2020 

Aim: Provide a sustainable knowledge base and biological sample resource to accelerate future research and development of innovative personalized treatment strategies in psoriatic arthritis. 

Our role: Clinical and -omics data harmonisation and integration; set up of secure environment for remote data mining and analysis 

Among the companies involved: 

  • NEOTERYX LIMITED 
  • NOVARTIS PHARMA AG 
  • UCB BIOPHARMA 
  • BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB COMPANY CORP 
  • PFIZER LIMITED 

Read more

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Innovative solutions for dealing with sensitive data under GDPR

Building on open-source technology, SIB has  implemented and further developed federated analysis systems as part of three major European projects (Innovative Medicines Initiative - IMI) in the fields of diabetes research (RHAPSODY and BEAt-DKD) and obesity (SOPHIA).  

The special feature of these systems is that they enable statistical analysis and machine learning to be carried out remotely on several clinical databases connected in a network but not shared so as to maintain their confidentiality. 

As part of these projects, SIB has worked with academic and industrial partners to set up three systems that connect more than 30 clinical studies.  

 An example of federated analysis applied to diabetes research:

Joining forces to ensure that life science data are FAIR

SIB is actively contributing to the European IMI FAIRPlus project, which provides guidelines and tools to easily ensure that life sciences data is FAIR (Findable,  Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable). Our role here is to contribute to the evaluation and prioritization of IMI datasets for FAIRification and to FAIR guidelines and recommendations. As for all IMIs, the project brings together partners from academia, SMEs and pharmaceutical companies (e.g. AstraZaneca AB, Eli Lilly and Company Ltd., Novartis Pharma AG) to enable wider adoption of best practises in life science data management. 

 

FAIRplus logo

 

The work carried out as part of this project benefits the entire life sciences community and helps to maximise public investment in research.   

Read more about our involvement in FAIRplus 

 

 SIB is also a partner in the ELIXIR Converge project, working with other data managers and trainers across Europe to provide tools and training for data management in the life sciences.  

 Find out how SIB contributes to open research data 

 

Banner image credit: Christian Lue on Unsplash