2009 ASHI Abstract

IDAWG - The Immunogenomic Data-Analysis Working Group

Mack, SJ1; Erlich, H A; Feolo, M; Fernandez-Vina, M; Gourrauud, P-A; Helmberg, W; Kanga, U; Kupatawintu, P; Lancaster, A; Maiers, M; Maldonado-Torres, H; Marsh, S GE; Meyer, D; Middleton, D; Mueller, C R; Nathalang, O; Park, M H; Single, R M; Tait, B; Thomson, G; Varney, M and Hollenbach, J1.

1Center for Genetics, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA, United States, 94609.

While a wealth of immunogenomic (e.g., HLA and KIR) data resources are available, the majority of these data have been used only in individual studies due to obstacles to the synthesis of information across datasets. As a result, the research community is not able to realize the full potential of these immunogenomic data resources for disease association, hematopoetic stem cell transplantation, and population genetics studies; these subjects could be investigated with much greater power and efficiency through replication studies, data pooling, and combined controls.

Existing barriers to the synthesis of data resources include varying levels of typing resolution between data sets, temporal nomenclature variation, and a lack of standards with regard to data capture and processing. Additional statistical and computational challenges exist for consistent analytical interpretation due to the high levels of polymorphism associated with immunogenomic data.

The immunogenomic data-analysis working group (IDAWG) aims to foster the expanded use of new and extant immunogenomic resources through the development of methods and standards for the integration of data generated at different levels of resolution, using different methodologies and under different nomenclature paradigms, and to facilitate the consistent application of analytical methods to highly polymorphic datasets through the refinement of extant methods and the development of novel approaches to immunogenomic analysis.