Upcoming seminars will highlight available tools to explore and analyze RECOVER data
Using tools in BioData Catalyst®, researchers can access over 200,000 variables and study data from RECOVER’s pediatric, adult, and tissue pathology (autopsy) studies.
To date, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the RECOVER Initiative have made over 48 million datapoints and 1.4 million biosamples from RECOVER study participants—including nearly 30,000 adults and children—available to authorized researchers through a secure platform. The NIH is committed to making these data available so that scientists and researchers can address additional questions about Long COVID.
These data and biosamples will be discussed in more detail during a 2-part RECOVER Research Review (R3) Seminar Series, to be held on November 4 and December 9. Scientists, researchers, and others who are interested in learning about RECOVER data and biosamples are encouraged to register to attend.
The November seminar will highlight RECOVER data points available through the platform BioData Catalyst® and explain how scientists and researchers can explore and study these data through multiple Long COVID research opportunities. During the seminar, RECOVER researchers and experts from BioData Catalyst® will walk through cases for and advantages of using the platform for data discovery and analysis.
Data discovery
BioData Catalyst® Powered by PIC-SURE is a tool that allows researchers to understand the types of information included in the RECOVER dataset. Using this tool, researchers can explore over 200,000 variables from RECOVER’s adult, tissue pathology (autopsy), and pediatric observational studies.
Users can apply filters to see how frequently symptoms appear in the dataset at a specific time point (for example, how many people had brain fog at a certain time). This exploration can give researchers insights into the types and amounts of data that are available, which in turn can help them understand whether RECOVER data can help them address their research question.
“It’s such a rich dataset, and there’s so much [data] to discover and learn from,” said Emily Hughes, a product manager for BioData Catalyst® Powered by PIC-SURE.
BioData Catalyst® Powered by PIC-SURE provides limited public access to RECOVER data, showing only high-level counts to protect the privacy of study participants. However, using the tool for exploration can help researchers understand the data available and whether their studies are feasible using RECOVER data. If a researcher determines their study could be completed using RECOVER data, they can request to use the data by:
- Submitting an ancillary study proposal.
- Applying for a funded study opportunity.
Data analysis
Once RECOVER approves a researcher’s data use request, they can then access the RECOVER data needed to complete their study via BioData Catalyst® Powered by Seven Bridges. This cloud-based research platform provides a collaborative workspace so that study teams can work together on data analysis without sending files back and forth. The platform allows scientists to work in a single software with common tools, applications, and workflows involved in biomedical research.
Although working in a cloud-based platform may be a new experience for some researchers, the team behind BioData Catalyst® Powered by Seven Bridges has worked to make the tool as easy to use as possible, said Cera Fisher, PhD, a program manager for the platform. She helps researchers with onboarding onto the platform, troubleshooting access issues, and managing their storage to keep cloud computing costs minimal. Her team also holds biweekly office hours to help research teams learn more about using the platform and finding the data they need.
“We want researchers to be spending their time on what these data really mean,” she said. “We don’t want them to be struggling with access to the data.”
Importantly, the platform also securely stores patient data so that no data are ever downloaded, thereby protecting the privacy of study participants. The BioData Catalyst® environment is a FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program) moderate compliant system. This means that it adheres to federal privacy and safety regulations to prevent data leaks. For example, researchers who are approved to use the tools have access only to the specific data they need to complete their study.
“Study participants or their families consented to give their health information to science in the hope that it would help them or other people,” Dr. Fisher said. “It’s our responsibility to make sure we keep the data in a secure and compliant environment.”
Sharing these tools with the public
Both Ms. Hughes and Dr. Fisher will present at the November R3 Seminar to showcase these tools and help people understand how they can use them to explore and analyze RECOVER data.
The seminar will be held Tuesday, November 4, at 12:00 pm ET. It will focus on finding and using RECOVER observational study data points, such as data collected from study visits and symptom surveys. On December 9, RECOVER will host the second part of the seminar series to highlight finding and using RECOVER’s collection of biosamples from observational studies.
To learn more about RECOVER data and biosamples, register to attend one or both seminars.
