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GA4GH Data Use and Researcher ID work stream

The DURI (GA4GH::DURI) Work Stream is one of the elements of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH), aimed at developing standard formats for the exchange of genomic data for research and biomedical applications.

The GA4GH DURI workstream is led by Jaime Guidry Auvil and Tommi Nyronen. All members of this team must follow the GA4GH Standards of Professional Conduct.

This team has two main standards:

• The Data Use Ontology (DUO) for semantic tagging of datasets with usesage restrictions
• GA4GH Passports which is a standards-based digital identity for researchers to access distributed data that includes ways to express data access rights

DURI vision

There are restrictions on the use of human genomics data that are derived from ethical requirements including participants' research consent. For example: "Data can only be used for breast cancer research with non-commercial purpose". The current process to request access to data to ensure studies are consistent with these restrictions is inefficient and slows down science.

We envision a world where biomedical researchers will be able to efficiently discover genomics and health data, and then apply and get access automatically based on their digital identity and, if required, a machine readable research purpose.

To achieve this, researchers need to have a reliable global electronic identity that is recognised for data access. In collaboration with the data authorities who are responsible for proper data use, this researcher identity would be authorised to access restricted data. We envision this type of access could be allowed for this use across a federated network of data repositories for researchers who have a trust attribute on their identities. For example: researchers would be able to query a network of repositories across country borders and find the genomes and phenotypes of all females of the age of 20-40 that have a BRCA mutation and can be used to study cancer; once they found that data they would be able to apply to access the data in an easy fashion and could often also instantly get access to research the data based on a digital assessment of appropriate claims, trust credentials and agreed policy. Read more here...

DURI structure

The GA4GH DURI workstream is led by

• Jaime Guidry Auvil
• Tommi Nyronen

The DURI is split into 2 subgroups

GA4GH Data Use Ontology

DUO Github

Leads:

• Melanie Courtot
• Jonathan Lawson

GA4GH Researcher Identity

GA4GH Passports Github

Leads:

• Craig Voisin
• Sarion Bowers

Technical Programme Manager

• Melissa Konopko