Pathogen Data Network boosted by AI for better viral data sharing
Official title: Pathogen Data Network
Funded at Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics · NIH-11529478 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A project to add AI-powered interoperability and interpretation to the Pathogen Data Network so researchers can more easily share and understand viral data across the NIAID ecosystem.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Geneva, Switzerland) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $797,562 |
| NIH project number | 3U24AI183840-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11529478 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Researchers and clinicians who work with viral data and infectious disease surveillance may benefit from improved data tools and interoperability.
✕Less likely to help
Patients may not directly participate; benefits are primarily for researchers and public health professionals.
What this research studies
This grant supports upgrading the Pathogen Data Network with AI-enabled services that link viral data resources like ViralZone, Loculus, and Nextstrain. It aims to create a shared data layer, common identifiers, provenance, and machine-readable services to improve cross-resource collaboration. A viral sequence interpretation pipeline will predict structure-like features and cleavage sites to enrich taxonomy and search across datasets. The work is designed to help scientists access cleaner, more connected pathogen information faster.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit indirectly from faster, more reliable insights into viral pathogens that inform diagnostics, surveillance, and response strategies.
How similar studies have gone: AI-enabled data integration for pathogen data is an emerging area with promising early results in related datasets.
Where this research is happening
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Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
Geneva, Switzerland Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dessimoz, Christophe — Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
- Study coordinator: Dessimoz, Christophe
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Pathogen Data Network to Improve Infectious Disease Data Sharing
A national program to connect and harmonize infectious disease data from many sources so researchers and public health teams can act faster to protect patients.
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A network for sharing pathogen data globally
This study is working to bring together different kinds of information about germs and the people they affect, so that researchers can better understand and manage infectious diseases, ultimately helping patients like you.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.