German Research Centre Shares COVID-19 Data Globally

Germ closeup

As a response to the worldwide pandemic, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Germany required a fast and secure way for researchers to share COVID-19 data.

The result was Serohub, a platform to accelerate research about the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2. We delivered a platform to enable researchers, government, and industry partners to contribute knowledge and tools and ultimately improve evidence-based decision-making on COVID-19.

Approach

The overall approach was to support the increased use of data-driven approaches for infection research and drive greater collaboration. The project had four primary aims:

  1. be a community space for researchers
  2. allow for critical appraisal of diagnostic trials
  3. host study-related documents
  4. be a cloud-based, meta-analysis platform

Objectives

  • Build a centralised platform where researchers can share studies, publications, and data easily
  • Incorporate four key platform elements: community, trial summary, document, and meta-analysis
  • Train and support staff in adopting and maintaining the platform to ensure long-term sustainability

Achievements

  • Align with research, management, and technical teams on data infrastructure and content
  • Built a sharing facility using the Netlify CMS to allow easy study management
  • Used GitHub to enable greater levels of collaboration in a cost-effective way
  • Delivered a general public website and a service environment for researchers
  • Trained and onboarded staff to use and maintain the platform effectively ensuring scalability

Key results

  • Serohub platform launched
  • 105 Publications uploaded
  • 6 major research studies shared
  • Collaborations across 3 continents