Abstract
Projects in the life sciences continue to increase in complexity as they scale to answer deeper and more diverse questions. They employ technologies that generate increasingly large ‘omic’ datasets and research teams regularly include experts ranging from animal care technicians, veterinarians, human health clinicians, geneticists, immunologists, and biochemists to computer scientists, mathematical modelers, and data scientists, often located at different institutions. Providing the cyberinfrastructure support framework (IT, data management, communication, documentation, and aspects of project management related to these areas) for these projects requires a diverse set of technical tools and soft skills. These skills must be able to meet both the broad needs of data generators and consumers within the project and the needs of the larger scientific community. Here we describe recommendations for cyberinfrastructure support teams responsible for systems biology research programs. Recommendations are based on lessons learned while establishing and leading a complex, transdisciplinary, host-pathogen malaria systems biology consortium involving many institutions, a variety of disciplines, animal infectious disease models, and clinical studies. While some technical suggestions are included, the primary foci are situational and sociological challenges and tips for handling them.
Highlights
Creating and supporting the cyberinfrastructure (IT, data management, communication, documentation, and related project management needs) for a systems biology project is as much about facilitating communication and education as technology, data management, and data integration
Because infrastructure and analysis technologies change rapidly and are often project specific, we focus on situational and sociological ‘Tips’ to help a cyberinfrastructure support team and project leadership
With strong documentation procedures in place, your cyberinfrastucture team can focus on adapting, innovating, and realizing the full potential of the project and delivery of its accomplishments to the world. Several themes tie these tips together: 1) Just as the analyses, data, and metadata will be integrated at different times and in different ways, so too, the parts of a systems biology project must be elevated from individual components to part of a larger whole
Summary
Creating and supporting the cyberinfrastructure (IT, data management, communication, documentation, and related project management needs) for a systems biology project is as much about facilitating communication and education as technology, data management, and data integration. From the perspectives of both data and sample management (generation, distribution, use, and storage of both) and team communication (project portals, document sharing, file archives, listservs, online meeting hosting, and/or a realtime experimental dashboard), it is important to be prepared and adaptable. An effective systems biology cyberinfrastructure support team will: Plan the flow of information including communication and documentation, identify hardware and software components and the needs of all project members, and work with all project stakeholders to create a project charter that will enable attainment of goals. Within the MaHPIC, software support needs ranged from collaborative writing, team chat, online meetings, data storage and retrieval (including text documents like Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and IRB approvals and funder progress reports), to SOP documentation and code. With strong documentation procedures in place, your cyberinfrastucture team can focus on adapting, innovating, and realizing the full potential of the project and delivery of its accomplishments to the world
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