Data Sharing

Partner Datasets

The DCRI has partnered with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) to expand access to clinical trial information from BMS-sponsored studies. Clinical trial information being made available for scientific research through SOAR™ includes protocols, full clinical study reports and de-identified patient-level data and study-level data for medicines and indications approved in the United States and/or Europe for trials completed after January 2008. Information from terminated programs will be available two years after discontinuation.

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Duke’s Shared Datasets

As part of the Duke University School of Medicine, we foster the principles of open science and data access from clinical studies. Our data sharing goals and policies include:

• Appropriate access to research information, so patient privacy is maintained, with the understanding that the nature of the study and sharing method will necessitate a range of privacy controls.
• Proper oversight with minimum barriers to data access, to prevent against misuse of data, while promoting new discovery.
• Maintaining utility of data, such that shared data can be used for new analyses.
• An expectation that results of analyses from shared data will similarly be shared.
• Acknowledgement of the work of original contributors.

Four data sharing opportunities are described and links to related resources are provided.

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Research Datasets

At the DCRI we believe that the dissemination of clinical research results is vital and that the sharing of data is important. In accordance with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ (ICMJE) data sharing recommendation, we encourage researchers interested in accessing clinical trial data to review data sharing policies of the study sponsor and/or request datasets through Vivli.

SOAR™ (Supporting Open Access for Researchers) is a collaboration between the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), academia, and private industry to open clinical research data for the benefit of the broader research community.

Our Goal

The goal of SOAR™ is to foster transparency and openness in research, enabling researchers to more rapidly build upon previous work and allowing patients to gain access to needed therapies more quickly.  The SOAR™ committee includes experts in biostatistics, research ethics, patient privacy, and the clinical specialty of the research. Proposals will be evaluated based on their scientific rationale as well as their analysis plans.

"In the future, clinical trialists, data scientists, and data analysis should strive to find a balance between maintaining an academic presence—including the publications that drive academic success—and appropriate collaboration to ensure that everyone involved is adequately recognized and rewarded, and future patients reap the benefits of the new information."

"Open science is good for researchers, good for innovation, and good for patients and the public. The question at the center of the open-science discussion is not whether data should be shared, but how we can usher in responsible methods for doing so. Our collaboration with SAS will allow data to be shared for the advancement of public health worldwide."

"While many support open science in theory, to date, few academics have been willing to actually share their own data. This is among the first examples where academic leaders are actually opening their clinical research data to others. This initiative provides a prototype for the field and is an incredibly important step toward greater data access for researchers everywhere."

Data Access

SOAR™ aims to facilitate open sharing of clinical trial data with responsible researchers to promote open science and allow investigators to verify trial results as well as pursue interesting secondary uses of trial data. Ultimately, this increase in transparency will inform science and improve patient care.

Data Governance

Each proposal is quickly reviewed by an Independent Review Committee with expertise in biostatistics, research ethics, patient privacy, and the clinical specialty of the research to evaluate the statistical analysis plan, plan to protect patient privacy, dissemination plan and qualification of the investigator(s). The data and analytical tools are provisioned directly to the investigator. The committee also reviews the final manuscript prior to submission to assess concordance with the stated analysis plan.

Expert Leadership

The SOAR™ program enables responsible data sharing through partnerships among academia, industry, and individual investigators. Overseen by senior experts from clinical science, biostatistics, and regulatory practice, SOAR™ is at the forefront in understanding the complexities of data sharing and secondary analysis.