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H2020Doctoral network2019–2023

HELICAL · HEalth data LInkage for ClinicAL benefit

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2019-01-01 → 2023-06-30
EU contribution
€4,050,338
Participants
25
Scheme
MSCA-ITN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

HEalth data LInkage for ClinicAL benefit

The overall goal of HELICAL is to establish a European training network to prepare the next generation of Health Informatics Researchers. Advances in information science and artificial intelligence provide unprecedented opportunities for using these datasets to study the complex biology of these disorders, how this is influenced by environmental triggers, and to personalise their management. Currently, exploitation of these opportunities is severely limited by the shortage of researchers with the required informatics skills, knowledge of requisite data protection and stewardship principles, and understanding of the clinical context. HELICAL addresses this unmet need by developing a trans-sectoral and interdisciplinary training programme that builds on the expertise and existing collaborations of its partners. It uses autoimmune vasculitis as a paradigm because it is scalable, the analysis of different forms will allow the influence of age and gender to be assessed, and comprehensive biological and clinical datasets are already available. The HELICAL training programme focuses on three complementary objectives: 1. application of informatics to such datasets to gain new biological insights 2. translation of biological into practical clinical outputs 3. identification of the novel ethical constraints imposed on such studies and development of strategies to manage them. The programme was delivered through a multidisciplinary and trans-sectoral partnership of world-leading researchers from Academia and Industry with expertise in biomedical research, epidemiology, statistics, machine learning, health data governance and ethics.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

European researchers have made leading contributions to the large genomic, transcriptomic and clinical datasets from patients with chronic diseases. Advances in information science provide unprecedented opportunities for using these datasets to elucidate the complex biology of these disorders, its influence by environmental triggers, and to personalise their management. Currently, exploitation of these opportunities is limited by a shortage of researchers with the required informatics skills and knowledge of requisite data protection principles. HELICAL addresses this unmet need by developing a trans-sectoral and interdisciplinary training programme that builds on the expertise and existing collaborations of its partners. It provides 15 early stage researchers with training in analysis of large datasets, using autoimmune vasculitis as a paradigm as it is scalable, and as comprehensive biological and clinical datasets are already available. The HELICAL training program focuses on three complementary areas: application of informatics to such datasets to gain new biological insights; translation of these into practical clinical outputs and management of ethical constraints imposed on such studies. The programme will be delivered through a multidisciplinary, trans-sectoral partnership of Academic and Industry researchers with expertise in basic biomedical research, epidemiology, statistics, machine learning, health data governance and ethics. Therefore, HELICAL exploits recent advances in data science to link research datasets with longitudinal healthcare records, based on the robust ethical foundation required for linkage studies using near-patient data, to address key experimental questions. The results will have obvious potential for transforming healthcare in the field of autoimmune disease. The training provided addresses a key skills gap in the European workforce and should make the ESR eminently employable in academic, industrial and clinical sectors.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • THE PROVOST, FELLOWS, FOUNDATION SCHOLARS & THE OTHER MEMBERS OF BOARD, OF THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY & UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NEAR DUBLIN · DublinCoordinatorIreland
  • AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MadridSpain
  • ANAXOMICS BIOTECH SL · BarcelonaSpain
  • EAGLE GENOMICS LIMITED · CambridgeUnited Kingdom
  • FIRALIS · HuningueFrance
  • FUNDACIO DE RECERCA CLINIC BARCELONA-INSTITUT D INVESTIGACIONS BIOMEDIQUES AUGUST PI I SUNYER · BarcelonaSpain
  • FUNDACION INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACION MARQUES DE VALDECILLA · SantanderSpain
  • FUNDACION PRIVADA INSTITUTO DE SALUD GLOBAL BARCELONA · BarcelonaSpain
  • IBM RESEARCH GMBH · RUESCHLIKONSwitzerland
  • KANTONSSPITAL ST. GALLEN · St. GallenSwitzerland
  • KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLAN · StockholmSweden
  • L.A SANTE, EPIDEMIOLOGIE, EVALUATION ET RECHERCHE L.A.S.E.R. · ParisFrance
  • MEDIZINISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIEN · WienAustria
  • PATIENTMPOWER LIMITED · DublinIreland
  • THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTE FOR INNOVATION THROUGH HEALTH DATA · GENTBRUGGEBelgium
  • TISSUEGNOSTICS GMBH · WienAustria
  • UNIVERSITAT AUTONOMA DE BARCELONA · Cerdanyola Del VallesSpain
  • UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA · BarcelonaSpain
  • UNIVERSITE PARIS CITE · ParisFrance
  • UNIVERSITEIT GENT · GentBelgium
  • UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW · GlasgowUnited Kingdom
  • UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS · LeedsUnited Kingdom
  • UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE · Newcastle Upon TyneUnited Kingdom
  • UNIVERZITA KARLOVA · Praha 1Czechia
  • UPPSALA UNIVERSITET · UppsalaSweden

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union