A new database for researchers for the joint use of the genome of dangerous viruses promises to solve many of the problems that hinder existing alternatives. But first the researchers have to be convinced of using them.

Pathoplexus - a combination of pathogen and plexus - was launched last month, and the team of scientists behind the database hopes that it will motivate more researchers to share genetic sequences of well -known and newly occurring viruses for public health.

The fastest possible transfer of sequences is important to identify new viruses and pursue changes that could make them more dangerous for people, as well as the development of vaccines, explains Edward Holmes, a virologist at the University of Sydney, Australia.

Pathoplexus is currently concentrating on four viruses that are not specially listed in other databases: the virus of the crimean-congo hemorrhagic fever, Ebola Sudan, Ebola Zaire and the West Nil virus. Further pathogens should be added later, according to the team.

existing hurdles

One of the largest existing repositories is Genbank in the United States, which offers unrestricted access to their genomic data. But public access means that theoretically everyone can use the data to publish scientific articles without recognizing the databases. This has prevented scientists, especially from low -income countries, from sharing their data, for example during a public health emergency. An alternative repository, GISAID, requires the users to register, to recognize the databases and to do their best to work with the owners. The database was developed to ensure the rights of data more submitted.

gisaid was extremely popular and contains almost 17 million sequences of Sars-Cov-2 behind Covid-19. However, researchers have concerns about Transparency expressed in his governance, as disputes about recognition and how it imposes sanctions against those who, in his opinion, violated the terms of use.

"Gisaid has caused a lot of frustration in recent years," says Spyros Lytras, an evolutionary virologist at the University of Tokyo. "From these experiences, the scientific community has learned how we can do it better. A restart is what we need as a community, and Pathoplexus could be the solution."

A representative of Gisaid said in an email that the trust that it has in the scientific community is strong and that more than 70,000 researchers use the site. The roles of his governance organs and donors are presented on the website, and their terms of use have not changed since it was founded in 2008, according to the representative.

build trust

Pathoplexus offers some protective measures for users. For example, researchers can determine restrictions on how their data may be used, for example, they may not be used as a central focus of scientific publications for up to one year without their express approval. This should give the data owners enough time to submit a manuscript via their results.

users must also recognize the data owners in their publications. "We intend to build up a community in which researchers have the confidence that their contributions will be respected and properly recognized," says Jamie Southgate, a member of Pathoplexus and head of the operations of the Global Coalition Public Health Alliance for Genomic Epidemiology based in Cape Town, South Africa.

Pathoplexus does not block people who violate the terms of use, from access to the page, what Gisaid has done . Instead, the team will contact the specialist journals to ensure that the published data is used in accordance with the way they were shared, explains Emma Hodcroft, co-founder of Pathoplexus and Molecular Epidemiologist at the Swiss tropical and public health institute in Basel, Switzerland. "We tried to formulate the conditions incredibly clearly," she says.

"It is a good, clever solution," says Senjuti Saha, a molecular microbiologist at the Child Health Research Foundation in Dhaka, which supports the procedure, publishers. "That's how it should be." She thinks that Pathoplexus's transparency will strengthen trust within the scientific community.

But it is still too early to say whether the repository will solve the current problems with data exchange, says Saha. "It is an excellent and fantastic first step."

users could also tend to share sequences in local databases. In China, for example, researchers, for example, are probably more likely to publish newly occurring viruses in Chinese databases, says Shi Mang, an evolutionary biologist at the Sun Yat-Sen University in Shenzhen, China, who also sits in the Scientific Advisory Board of Pathoplexus. But for established viruses you will probably use repositories with well -maintained collections that Pathoplexus offers.

improved user experience

The developers of Pathoplexus tried to improve the user experience, among other things by making uploading as easy as possible. Pathoplexus also checks the sequence data and accompanying information for errors and helps to organize viruses in subtypes. "This is actually what has drawn to this database," says Shi. Increasers can significantly hinder false sequences in the current repositories, he adds.

Up until now, Pathoplexus has used Genbian data for the four viruses to fill the page. Thousands of visitors have already called up the page, and 50 have created accounts to submit data, but so far nobody has submitted sequences, explains Hodcroft. "We did not expect high amounts of data for the pathogenic that we started."

researchers who work on other viruses have to wait for the database to be expanded to include them. To expand, the team has to secure long -term financing. The site is currently operated by voluntary and donated computer time, which ends in about six months. Hodcroft says that it is the current goal of winning donors. "I am carefully optimistic."