From biobank and data silos into a data commons: Convergence to support translational medicine

Posted on January 25, 2022 By LabLynx Journal articles

In this 2021 paper published in the journal Journal of Translational Medicine, Asiimwe et al. discuss the challenge of moving "vast amounts of research and clinical data" from their silos to more accessible platforms that biobanks and their researchers can better take advantage of. In particular, they discuss the steps British Columbia’s Gynecological Cancer Research Program (OVCARE) took to move from a traditional system of data silos to an integrated data commons in an effort to standardize and encourage collaborative data sharing and governance. After providing a bit of background on their situation, the authors discuss matching their research community's needs to an integrated domain-specific system infrastructure. After reflecting on their implementation, the authors discuss their results and conclude that a "seamless data environment for clinical and research data can be achieved through shared policies and technologies, and privacy-preserving open computer architectures and storage platforms."

The impact of extraction protocol on the chemical profile of cannabis extracts from a single cultivar

Posted on January 18, 2022 By LabLynx Journal articles

As with preparing samples in other fields of science, the processing method for cannabis in order to measure its analytes can vary, sometimes significantly. However, some standardized processes for, e.g., extraction protocols, do exist, though one process may still differ slightly from another. According to Bowen et al. of Colorado State University and Charlotte’s Web, Inc., a knowledge gap exists concerning what the composition results of varying extraction protocols are on cannabis. In this 2021 paper, the authors seek to address that knowledge gap, using a single proprietary cannabis cultivar and 20 commercial extraction procedures. The authors conducted principal component analysis (PCA) using a variety of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) techniques. They found discrepancies in the bioactive chemical profiles across the different extraction protocols, leading them to conclude a definitive "need for further research regarding the influence of processing on therapeutic efficacy, as well as the importance of labeling in the marketing of multi-component cannabis products."