title: Enabling collaborative research using the Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  As biomedical technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, researchers can probe ever more subtle effects with the added requirement that the investigation of small effects often requires the acquisition of large amounts of data. In biomedicine, these data are often acquired at, and later shared between, multiple sites. There are both technological and sociological hurdles to be overcome for data to be passed between researchers and later made accessible to the larger scientific community. The goal of the Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN) is to address the challenges inherent in biomedical data sharing.
  
  
  METHODS
  BIRN tools are grouped into 'capabilities' and are available in the areas of data management, data security, information integration, and knowledge engineering. BIRN has a user-driven focus and employs a layered architectural approach that promotes reuse of infrastructure. BIRN tools are designed to be modular and therefore can work with pre-existing tools. BIRN users can choose the capabilities most useful for their application, while not having to ensure that their project conforms to a monolithic architecture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BIRN has implemented a new software-based data-sharing infrastructure that has been put to use in many different domains within biomedicine. BIRN is actively involved in outreach to the broader biomedical community to form working partnerships.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BIRN's mission is to provide capabilities and services related to data sharing to the biomedical research community. It does this by forming partnerships and solving specific, user-driven problems whose solutions are then available for use by other groups.
authors.affiliation: Athinoula A Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. helmer@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Karl G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Helmer
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ambite
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ames
authors.forename: Rachana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ananthakrishnan
authors.forename: Gully
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Ann L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Chervenak
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liming
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Keator
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Macciardi
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Madduri
authors.forename: John-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Potkin
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.forename: Seth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ruffins
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schuler
authors.forename: Jessica A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toga
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kesselman
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000458:organization & administration; D001709:Biotechnology; D003195:Computer Communication Networks / Q000458:organization & administration; D016494:Computer Security; D003199:Computer Systems; D003628:Database Management Systems; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D018511:Systems Integration; D014481:United States