The National Institutes of Health has announced that it has expanded a genetic and clinical research database to give researchers access to the first digital study images. The National Eye Institute (NEI), in collaboration with the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), has made available more than 72,000 lens photographs and fundus photographs of the back of the eye, collected from the participants of the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS).
These images are now accessible to scientists through NCBI's online database of Genotypes and Phenotypes, known as dbGaP. dbGaP archives data from studies that explore the relationship between genetic variations (genotype) and observable traits (phenotype). Though study descriptions and protocols are publicly accessible, researchers must apply for controlled access to de-identified information about study subjects, including the new images.
The NEI-supported AREDS was one of two studies included in the December 2006 launch of dbGaP. The first version of controlled-access AREDS information was made available in 2007, including data gathered from genome-wide scans of DNA samples from 600 study participants. The database was updated in November 2008 to include clinical trial and natural history information from the 4,757 total AREDS participants over 10 years. The latest addition to the AREDS dataset includes more than 72,000 lens and fundus photographs from 595 study participants with genome-wide scan data available.
Open-access AREDS data and a link to apply for controlled access to individual-level data, including the new images, can be found on the NEI-AREDS study page at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gap.
Search for more Research Support tools
To access our daily STM news feed through your iPhone, iPad, or other smartphones, please visit www.myscoope.com for a mobile friendly reading experience.
