Two years ago, the Alzheimer’s Disease Data Initiative (ADDI) set out to work with others to accelerate advances in Alzheimer’s and related dementia research by breaking down data sharing silos and fostering global collaboration. While there is still far to go in finding new and meaningful diagnostics, treatments, and cures, we are encouraged by the community’s progress.
When a coalition of partners launched ADDI in November 2020, we brought the AD Workbench to the research community. This platform allows researchers to discover, access, and analyze 41 (and growing) datasets from academic institutions and industry organizations. Many of these datasets come from existing data sharing platforms that have partnered with ADDI to make their datasets interoperable with the AD Workbench. Today, ADDI has over 3,150 registered users from 89 countries, commissioned almost 1,000 workspaces, and has received more than 800 data access requests. We are continuously adding more datasets, analysis tools, and other resources.
But this is just part of ADDI’s efforts. We know that research advances will not be achieved by one person. We need to work as a community, and collaboration will be the key to our success. Together, we can support each other, share resources, and inspire new ideas. To do so, we’ve created AD Connect, our online community, to bring together and support data scientists, bioinformaticians, drug discovery experts, neuroscientists, clinicians, and researchers interested in accelerating dementia research.
I invite you to explore AD Connect. Discover the resources we offer, hear what our members are saying, and find helpful information that can advance your work. On AD Connect you can find:
- An extensive library of AD Workbench user guides and FAQs. Post a question about the AD Workbench on our forums, and a fellow community member or ADDI team member will have the answer.
- A growing collection of information about the datasets that are discoverable on the AD Workbench. You’ll find a short description, manuscripts citing the dataset, how to request access, and discussion posts.
- Our community bulletin board. This is the place to read our latest news and updates, such as upcoming data science challenges, events, or interesting papers. You will discover those and more on our forums.
If you are an AD Workbench user, you already have access to AD Connect. If you are new to ADDI, feel free to explore our resources and connect with fellow researchers in AD Connect! If you have questions about AD Connect, please email support@alzheimersdata.org.
Happy connecting, we hope you find value out of this new community!
Sincerely,
