Advancing cross-disease comparisons through FAIR data practices to uncover shared molecular mechanisms between Alzheimer's disease and autoimmune disorders

Sage Bionetworks, Seattle WA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract Recent studies have shown that individuals with systemic autoimmune diseases are at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Shared dysfunctional mechanisms related to immune function likely account for, or significantly contribute to, the development of both conditions. Identifying these shared mechanistic pathways may lead to new treatment and prevention approaches. However, a critical bottleneck impedes progress: the lack of integrated, interoperable, and analysis-ready data resources needed to detect and explicate these shared mechanisms. This administrative supplement to the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® (AMP®) Alzheimer's Disease (AD) Data Coordination Center (DCC) grant U24AG061340 proposes to address this gap by strategically enhancing the currently established infrastructure and catering to the needs of the scientific community in these keystone areas of research. In alignment with FAIR principles, a metadata framework, data storage and organization framework, and data annotation process will be established within the existing ARK Portal for ingress of autoimmune and immune-modulated diseases, leveraging the existing schema established for the AMP-AD portal. Alignment of portal schema will facilitate cross-portal exploration of data. Support for data preparation and ingress will be provided via the help desk, through the work proposed in Aim 1. For the proposed work in Aim 2, we will enhance search functions, data visualization, access to data analysis tools, and exploration of available data sets and, where appropriate, provide links to data within the AMP-AD portal relevant for comparison or concurrent analysis for mechanistic linkages with autoimmune diseases. In an effort to reduce barriers to accessing data for researchers within the ARK Portal, in Aim 3 Trusted Research Environments (TREs) adhering to NIST SP 800-171 will be established to provide the same familiar research capacity across both autoimmune and AD disease areas. Finally, Aim 4 will operationalize a Data Governance Framework for the ARK Portal, ensuring data integrity, ethical use, and long-term stewardship in a complex landscape of data sharing in the face of rapid developments in areas of AI/ML and evolving needs for data security and privacy. This supplement is directly relevant to the parent grant's mission of data coordination, FAIR data implementation, and resource dissemination. The ultimate impact will be the acceleration of research into the shared biology of neurodegeneration and autoimmunity, providing a basis for the identification of novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutically viable targets for both Alzheimer's and autoimmune diseases.