Harmonization: Bringing Research Efforts in Sync
At GAPPS our ultimate goal is to accelerate the understanding of prematurity and stillbirth to support new diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive strategies. Standardized research is central to our success. GAPPS is leading an effort to harmonize maternal data and samples across widespread collection sites to make it easier to compare findings across studies, facilitate new collaborations and augment a growing collective knowledge to help speed discoveries and solutions.
In 2010, GAPPS formed a Harmonization Strategy Workgroup composed of representatives from large, prospective maternal and data specimen collections, and experts from relevant research areas. The group explores opportunities for harmonization across collection sites to advance basic and translational research by:
- Identifying potential ways to share data and specimens
- Proposing a standardized data and specimen collection strategy
- Addressing bioethical considerations for collecting maternal data and specimens in low-resource settings
- Exploring opportunities to collaborate on studies
- Surveying possible training and exchange programs
