Minutes of NCBC Workgroup on DBP Interaction and Impact
March 16, 2007 and May 15th Follow-up
Participants:
MAGNet: Andrea Califano, Aris Floratos
NCIBI: Brian Athey, David States, Gil Omenn, H.V. Jagadish, and Jim Cavalcoli
Simbios: Russ Altman, Jeanette Schmidt
Meeting Report and Action Items
Name change
It was decided that, rather than focusing on systems biology, this SIG should monitor the driving biological projects within the various NCBCs. Specific goals are to monitor the relations between DBPs on related topics at distinct NCBCs, to assess and improve their impact within their respective biomedical communities, and to identify common methodologies and infrastructure (as a template for similar projects) in relationship to the other two SIGs.
Action Item: it was agreed that a new name will be used “NCBC Workgroup on DBP Interaction and Impact”. This needs to be reflected online in our SIG wiki page (AF)
Teleconferences
It was agreed that there should be one TC per month and that the discussion should be recorded and made available together with minutes and action items on the SIG Wiki Page.
Action Item: set up periodic teleconferences (AC) Record the TC (AF) Produce minutes (In turn based on the recording data). NCIBI (Cavalcoli, Troy and Terzian will coordinate.)
Dissemination of SIG activities
Simbios magazine should publish an editorial on the SIG activities in terms of coordinating the DBPs and their interactions, synergies, common methodologies, etc.
Action Item: Russ will talk to Kathy Miller (Simbios Magazine Editor), Andrea will follow up with Kathy.
We should proactively engage several external biomedical communities to promote the role of the NCBCs in fostering the dialogue at the boundary between the biomedical and the computational sciences. This will be a key activity in preparation for assessing the impact of the NCBCs on biomedical research at large and it involves three types of communities:
1 . Major disease‑related biomedical themes
a. Cancer (AC/GO)
b. Neurobiology related disease (Neuromuscular control, RA to contact Ron and Art)
c. Diabetes (BA, to contact Issac Kohane)
2. Basic computational science themes
a. Biophysical society (RA)
b. caBIG (AF)
c. Pacific Biosymposium (RA)
d. ICMB (Brian will take the lead, NCIBI and Simbios to attend Vienna Meeting. Others?)
e. RECOMB Systems Biology Workshop (AC)
3. Translational Research themes
a. CTSA (BA and AC)
Action Items: communities should be reached for exposure at major conferences by the indicated investigators.
These activities should be coordinated in time for the next all-hands meeting.
DBP Activity Questionnaire
We should put together a questionnaire to interrogate the DBPs about their activities and synergies. Additionally, we should draft a short “at a glance” document that will describe all the existing DBPs, their aims, their investigators, links to their scientific production. The document should highlight potential links between the DBPs and even between the DBPs and Core I/Core II activities at other NCBCs.
1. DBP Inventory and interactome (GO/DS)
2. Common and potentially‑shared data (AC)
3. Common tools and desiderata (AF, in collaboration with the YP SIG)
4. Common methodologies (RA)
5. Use of ontologies (BA/DJS, in collaboration with the Ontology SIG)
Most Useful Tools
We integrate our efforts with the YP SIG to collect data on tools that are most used across the various DBPs and tools that are commented by individual biomedical researchers with respect to their usefulness. These tools should include both internal NCBC‑developed tools and tools from the external community.
Action Items: A web page of MOST USEFUL tools should be created (Done)
Creation of an “NCBCs for dummies” page on Wikipedia
Currently the NCBC representation on wikipedia is dismal. However, this is likely to be the most used resource for biologists and biomedical researchers. Since the activities of this SIG are specifically related to biomedical research impact, we should create a wikipedia page on the NCBCs and update it with the DBPs information that is collected via the questionnaire.
Action Items: Create the Wikipedia page (June). Make an interactome map of the existing DBPs and post it on the page (BA/DJS—To be reviewed by RA). Started by creating ncbcs.org
Draft to All PIs about SIG activities
We should create a draft of the SIG revised goals and activities and circulate it to all the NCBCs’ PIs.
Additionally, the NCBCs’ PIs should take the lead in defining the themes of the next AHM to be centered on external NCBC impact and more specifically on the DBP focus and impact in their respective communities.
Action Items: Create draft and circulate it first to SIG and then to PIs (AC). Contact the NIH to get date for the next AHM (BS/GO has contacted Peter Lyster)