SPHN was represented at the 8th Plenary of GA4GH with a poster highlighting the FAIRification of Health Genomics Data in Switzerland. The 8th Plenary was held online on the 29th and 30th of September 2020.
Abstract:
Enabling the use and exchange of interoperable health data for research is the overall objective of the Swiss Personalized Health Network Initiative. Getting data out of silos and working towards a FAIR use of health data is a challenge in many places, but all the more so in a federal country with 26 cantons responsible for the provision of healthcare services. Our aims: Developing infrastructures and improving the framework conditions for data-driven, biomedical research in Switzerland. Enabling researchers to query what clinical data potentially is available for their research projects, to find data and to know whom to ask for data accessing permissions. Regarding genomic and other omics data, SPHN is in the process of deploying a local EGA to provide a secure repository for the re-use of omics datasets, integrating Swiss meta-data information into the international EGA catalogue to improve findability of data beyond boarders. Furthermore, SPHN drives the improvement of semantic and technical interoperability and the implementation of standards, in close alignment with international efforts, such as GA4GH.
Authors: Jan Armida, Sabine Österle, Shubham Kapoor, Katrin Männik, Marc Friedli and Katrin Crameri on behalf of the SPHN consortia