Belinda Seto, Ph.D.

Deputy Director

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

NIH and Biomedical ‘Big Data’

Myriad Data Types

Other ‘Omic

Imaging Phenotypic

Clinical

Genomic

Exposure

Data and Informatics Working Group

acd.od.nih.gov/diwg.htm

At a pivotal point: Risk failing to capitalize on technology

advances

Bordering on “institutional malpractice”

Cultural changes at NIH are essential

Aim to develop new opportunities for:

Data sharing

Data analysis

Data integration

Long-term NIH commitment is required

Overarching Themes

NIH is Tackling the ‘Big Data’ Problem

1. New NIH Leadership Position:

Associate Director for Data Science (ADDS)

2. New Internal NIH Governing/Oversight Body:

Scientific Data Council (SDC)

3. New Trans-NIH Initiative:

Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K)

What’s in a Name?

Computational Biology

Big Data

Information Science

Bioinformatics

Biomedical Informatics

Quantitative Biology

Data Science

Biostatistics

Acting Chair: Eric Green (Acting ADDS & NHGRI)

Members:

James Anderson (DPCPSI)

Sally Rockey (OER)

Michael Gottesman (OIR)

Kathy Hudson (OD)

Andrea Norris (CIT)

Judith Greenberg (NIGMS)

Betsy Humphreys (NLM)

Douglas Lowy (NCI)

John J. McGowan (NIAID)

Alan Koretsky (NINDS)

Michael Lauer (NHLBI)

Belinda Seto (NIBIB)

Acting Executive Secretary: Allison Mandich (NHGRI)

Scientific Data Council: Membership

Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K): Overview

Major trans-NIH initiative addressing an NIH

imperative and key roadblock

Aims to be catalytic and synergistic

Overarching goal:

By the end of this decade, enable a quantum leap in

the ability of the biomedical research enterprise to

maximize the value of the growing volume and

complexity of biomedical data

http://bd2k.nih.gov

I. Facilitating Broad Use of Biomedical

Big Data

II. Developing and Disseminating

Analysis Methods and Software for

Biomedical Big Data

III. Enhancing Training for Biomedical

Big Data

IV. Establishing Centers of Excellence

for Biomedical Big Data

BD2K: Four Programmatic Areas

IA. Facilitating Broad Use of Biomedical Big

Big Data -- Data Catalog

• RFI responses received – June 25

• 62 responses received

• Data Catalog Workshop held Aug 21, 22 • Fran Berman, chair

• Jenny Larkin (NHLBI), Ron Margolis (NIDDK),

co-organizers

BD2K: Four Programmatic Areas

IB. Facilitating Broad Use of Biomedical Big Big

Data – Data/Metadata Standards

• Frameworks for Community-based Standards

Efforts Workshop • September 25,26

• Susanna Santone & David Kennedy, co-chairs

• Mike Huerta (NLM), Leslie Derr (OD) co-org

BD2K: Four Programmatic Areas

IC. Facilitating Broad Use of Biomedical Big Data -

Enabling research use of clinical data

• Workshop September 11, 12 • Robert Cardiff & Dan Masys, co-chairs

• Leslie Derr (OD), Jerry Sheehan (NLM) co-org

• Webcast w/ real-time, online discussion forum

• To identify actionable steps that NIH can

take to accelerate the use of clinical data in

research

• Near and long-term needs for research,

infrastructure, standards and policies

• Organizers are collecting information about

relevant initiatives

BD2K: Four Programmatic Areas

II. Developing and Disseminating Analysis Methods

and Software for Biomedical Big Data

• FOAs for BD2K-specific software needs in FY15 • RFI issued August 8, responses due Sept 6

• 4 topic areas: data visualization,

compression/reduction, provenance, wrangling

• Software Catalogue Workshop: • Feb 18-19, 2014

• Chairs: Asif Dhar and Owen White

BD2K: Four Programmatic Areas

II. Developing and Disseminating Analysis

Methods and Software for Biomedical Big Data

• Updated broad-based software development

FOAs (“BISTI”), notice of intent to publish

• Cloud computing:

• joint BD2K-Infrastructure Plus working

group initiated

• on-going discussion with NCI, joint survey

results being written up

• on-going discussion with commercial

providers.

BD2K: Four Programmatic Areas

II. Developing and Disseminating Analysis

Methods and Software for Biomedical Big Data

• Dynamic Community Engagement: micro-blog

and twitter developed for BD2K workshops

BD2K: Four Programmatic Areas

III. Enhancing Training for Biomedical

Big Data

• RFI, >100 responses received • Workshop held July 29, 30

• Karen Bandeen-Roche, Zak Kohane, co-chairs

• Michelle Dunn (NCI), Bettie Graham (NHGRI),

organizers

• Webcast, archived

BD2K: Four Programmatic Areas

III. Enhancing Training for Biomedical

Big Data – Workshop recommendations

• Opportunity for extraction of knowledge from Big Data

is often highest at the interface of at least two

disciplines; training programs should be designed to

work at interfaces

• Training programs should be designed to provide skills

to work effectively in Team Science

• Dual mentoring should be encouraged

• Flexibility needed to encourage innovation and to take

best advantage of local expertise and talent

• Trainees need access to large data sets

BD2K: Four Programmatic Areas

III. Enhancing Training for Biomedical

Big Data – Workshop recommendations

• Training in quantitative science and experimental

design will be increasingly important to clinical

researchers and even clinicians

• Principles of reproducible research must be stressed

• There are training needs across the full spectrum of

scientists, in terms of both experience and activities

• The jobs that need to be done in effective Big Data

science may not correspond to traditional academic

jobs

• A diverse workforce should be a major goal of data

science training activities

BD2K: Four Programmatic Areas

IV. Establishing Centers of Excellence

for Biomedical Big Data

• Investigator-initiated centers

• FOA released July 22

• Applications due November 20

• Technical Information Webinar Sept 12

• NIH-Initiated centers

• LINCS-BD2K Data Coordination and

Integration Center (+ $2.5M from Common

Fund)

• Principles being developed

BD2K: Four Programmatic Areas

The biomedical research enterprise is

undergoing a major ‘phase change’ with

respect to Big Data and data science

Trans-NIH problem needing trans-NIH solutions

Solutions include multifaceted cultural changes

New NIH plans are:

Mission critical

Transformational

Transitional-- en route to longer-term commitment

Closing Thoughts

Questions?