2013 02 01 Teleconference Minutes

Databases and Ontologies CoR Teleconference

Draft Minutes

1^st February 2013

Participants:

Nathan Baker (Pacific Northwest National Lab), Hubert Rauscher (JRC), Stacey Standridge (NNCO), Christoffer ?berg (University College Dublin), Iseult Lynch (University College Dublin – note University of Birmingham from 1^st March 2013), Marty Fritts (SAIC-Frederick, Inc. / NCI at Frederick); Fred Klaessig (Pennsylvania Bio Nano Systems, LLC),  Kim Guzan (RTI International),  Joe Fisher (U.S. Army), Damaris Murry (RTI International), Krishna Rajan (Iowa State University),

Attachments:

Pre-meeting:

Current list of nanotechnology information resources:  http://j.mp/YoOnR1
Invitation to contribute new information via the online form: (http://j.mp/TZweax)

Invitation to contribute to special issue, including instructions on how to submit: http://iopscience.iop.org/1749-4699/focus/Focus{1dacb2b446ca283c254fe5152ac6ebea255aa67f9b45ba7c8d0b90605bd37a30}20on{1dacb2b446ca283c254fe5152ac6ebea255aa67f9b45ba7c8d0b90605bd37a30}20Nanotechnology{1dacb2b446ca283c254fe5152ac6ebea255aa67f9b45ba7c8d0b90605bd37a30}20Informatics

Post-meeting:

Case Studies from the EPA (contact is Dr. Christy Powers):
- Titanium Dioxide: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=210206
- Silver: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=226723
- Multiwall carbon nanotubes: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=244011

For SCCS: SCCS/1484/12
For EFSA:  EFSA Journal 2011;9(5):2140

Minutes:

1.  I.            Resource Inventory

Nathan emailed two documents just prior to the meeting (see the pre-meeting attachments above) – the survey of current IT inventory which has received a modest number of replies to date, and the link to continue to add to it. 

A second source of information is the manuscript by Diana and Victor in J. Nanomedicine.

But, still missing resources, so how best to proceed?

Marti suggested teaming up with the Materials Genome project in the US.  Earthcube, DIBS etc. Track that they are doing and see how to link with them.  Marti is the point of contact for this, and will initiate dialogue and review both lists of resources and identify missing ones.

Hubert mentioned the current EU stage 2 proposals addressing nanosafety ontology and databases -  we know of three consortia / proposals being submitted, each with different approaches and linkages.

Nathan summarized that the short term objective of the CoR is to identify what is already out there and the longer term goal is then to see how best to link different activities (including new projects).

Marti also suggested looking to see what tools are available via the US Nanohub, which may be quite semi-conductor focused, and assess how to share data between these distinct platforms and if the two groups (Nanohub and the database CoR) can exchange data.

Action items: 

• Marti to link with the US Materials Genome project and identify additional resources that way
• Nathan to find contact name for the US NanoHub and send details to group.

1. II.            Link to other CoRs and data integration use-cases

An overarching theme of the databases session at the second EU-U.S.: Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts workshop which was held in Helsinki, Finland on October 25-26, 2012 was the need to focus our efforts on relevant use case studies in order to support the other CoRs.

Nathan invited the other CoR leaders to join this call, but unfortunately none took the opportunity.

Reiterated the need to reach out to the other CoRs, specifically predictive modeling and environment, to find out what are their use-cases for data integration.  Use ourselves to link to the other CoRs.

Fred mentioned that CoRs 1 and 4 have comments in their scope text about leaving life cycle analysis behind and instead focusing on product life linked to instances of characterization.  Minimal information standards for physico-chemcial characterization.  Need to find out what they mean by this.

Nathan identified some initial tasks that link us to other CoRs as being:

• vocabulary definition,
• information sharing and
• data sharing / integration

Kim: Efforts are underway to gather “strategic” / data-rich physic-chemical datasets -> minimal information standards.  She will find out from Richard Canady if the NanoRegistry approach is sufficient or needs expansion.  Then, once we have the datasets, what questions can we interrogate?

Fred: EPA case studies on silver, CNTs and TiO₂ demonstrate traceability from different compartments, and could be used to identify what are the stages in the product lifecycle that require characterization.  These could then be addressed in sequential order and linked to traceability, e.g. in sea water or in surface water, human or animal toxicity, plant fate following waste disposal etc.

Hubert: OECD WPMN has identified 12(17) representative NMs and the testing programme is also generating significant data sets that are being incorporated into the JRC Nanohub. 1^st phase testing on physic-chemical properties has concluded.  Workshop at end-February 2013 to assess the data and whether all physico-chemical end-points tested are relevant for safety assessment.  It is difficult to find the links to the relevant reports, so Hubert will send to all.  Note the 59 end-points tested will be reviewed and some moved towards standardization via the ISO TC229 metrology group.  Information can also be accessed via the national standardization bodies (mirror committees).

Nathan: two sets of information that we should review before the next meeting (EPA and OECD).  We will also try to engage further with the other CoRs (including via Georgios and Sally).

Action items: 

• Kim to find out from Richard Canady if the NanoRegistry approach is sufficient in terms of data richness.
• Fred to send links to the EPA case studies - see post-meeting links above.
• Hubert to send the relevant OECD WPMN reports.
• All to review the EPA and OECD data prior to the next teleconference.
• Nathan to further engage with other CoRs where possible.

1. III.                   Special journal issue in Computation Science & Discovery

Nathan sent out an open invitation to contribute for Database & Ontologies CoR members (see pre-meeting links).  If interested, please contact Hubert & Nathan with a suggested title for your contribution so they get an idea of how large / small the issue might be.

Timing:  1^st round of submissions by 22^nd April 2013, but can be rolling.

We have a wide scope with the issue, including topics such as:

• How to share data
• Vocabulary and ontology
• Predictive models and QSARs
• Practical problems in data exchange
• Regulatory viewpoint: challenges and information requirements.

Looking forward to several inputs from the databases and ontology CoR members.

Action items:

• Submit papers by April 22^nd or as ready thereafter.

VI.         Any Other Business

For the next teleconference we would like to invote CoR memerbs ro present ideas / burning issues, and to see more group interaction.

Action items:

• Include the phone numbers for the different countries into the invite emails for future calls.

Suggestions for future meetings to increase participant engagement:

• The arkadin system also lets us do web conferencing, and share slides or a whiteboard that participants can write on
• Another option might be to pose a couple of specific questions in advance of the calls and get input "live" in the calls, so that people come a bit more prepared
• We could also try to arrange a CoR leaders call?
• Invite someone for a presentation as a thought starter. For example, Marty Fritts on the
  Nanoinformatics review in the Int J of Nanomedicine paper.