HJLR Mar/Apr 2019

Healthcare Journal of little rock I  MAR / APR 2019 45 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalLR.com Support Group, which meets monthly at the Little Rock Family Home. He was honored with a 2018 Legacy Leadership Award by the Arkansas Divi- sion of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The award recognizes individuals who have a vision for a world without blood cancers and honors their ongoing passion and dedication to Arkansans. UAMS Researcher Joins International Colleagues in Journal ScienceUrging Open Access to Genomics Data Scientific discovery could be accelerated with more open access to genomic data, says an arti- cle in the latest journal, Science, by a group of research leaders from across the globe that includes David W. Ussery, PhD, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). “We argue that the publicly available data should be treated as open data, a shared resource with unrestricted use for analysis, inter- pretation, and publication,” the article states in the journal’s Policy Forum titled, “Toward unre- stricted use of public genomic data.” The article, with 51 authors, challenges long- standing customs and guidelines that have allowed the producers of genomics data to keep it for analysis and publication before outside researchers can study it. As a specialist in bacterial genomics, Ussery, a professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Biomedical Informatics, said a better understanding of genome sequences will help scientists more easily determine where out- breaks originate and how they can be treated. “In my field, it is critical to have unrestricted access to this kind of genomic data,” said Ussery, a member of the international Genomics Stan- dards Consortium. “Some of our biggest scien- tific advances are likely to come from genomics research, and we need to remove barriers that could delay discoveries.” The article calls for revising the landmark 2003 Fort Lauderdale Agreement, which is a pub- lic declaration by scientists supporting free and unrestricted use of genome sequencing data. The agreement, the authors say, is “self-contra- dictory” because it also recommends a hands-off approach to publicly available data so that those who produced the data have a chance to analyze and publish it. A key factor in the article’s push is the grow- ing wave of raw data from faster, inexpensive third-generation genome sequencing devices, said Ussery, who holds the Helen Adams & Arkansas Research Alliance Endowed Chair in Bioinformatics. “By 2025, the amount of data from third-gener- ation sequencing will dwarf other big data gen- erators like YouTube and Twitter,” Ussery said. “YouTube is expected to reach two exabytes, but third-generation sequencing will produce about 20 zettabytes of data.” A zettabyte is 1,000 times larger than an exabyte. In a recent presentation, Ussery cited the 20 zettabyte projection for genetic sequencing data, noting that the estimated cost to store that much data is $2 trillion. In fact, with the advent of large global data analysis studies, the article says, the amount of publicly available data is at the scale of yottabytes (1,000 times larger than a zettabyte).  Scientific analysis of so much data requires costly computing resources and advanced ana- lytical capabilities, and some scientists who pro- duce genomic data don’t have those advanced capabilities. In those cases, outside researchers should be allowed free access to the data with- out restriction.  “For example,” the article states, “the outsider team may have better analytical capabilities and/ or overarching protocols for analyzing more com- prehensive sets of data, pre- or post-publication. Also, sequence datasets can be interrogated by means of numerous value-added platforms and tools from multiple groups.” The article cites three guiding principles for their recommendations: Public genomics data that have ethics approval for release should be open data—available for unrestricted use, together with associated meta- data—with the exception of sensitive human data, to which additional ethics restrictions may apply. Science advances through open competition with clear-cut, transparent rules, not through pos- ing restrictions and limitations. Credit should be given appropriately to resource producers (those who produce the data) and should be transparent. “These recommendations should not impede protection of sensitive human data,” the article states. “We acknowledge that for existing sen- sitive human data, some restrictions may be appropriate.” UHF: NewYear, Healthier State The new year coincided with a report released by the United Health Foundation (UHF) that showed Arkansas increased its health ranking by two spots, from 48 to 46 overall. The UHF described Arkansas’s strengths as a low preva- lence of excessive drinking and high meningo- coccal and Tdap immunization coverage among adolescents. They listed the state’s challenges as a high prevalence of smoking, a high cardiovascu- lar death rate, and a low rate of dentists. “We are pleased our state moved up in the rankings, and I want to thank Arkansans for the work they’ve done to improve their health,” said Dr. Nathaniel Smith, ADH director and state health officer. “As we all set goals for the New Year, we want Arkansans to know that we are here to help them with their health.” The new year is a time when many people set goals for the future. Many of the goals set are health-related, like increasing physical activity and eating more nutritious foods, and the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), Be Well Arkansas, and Healthy Active Arkansas (HAA) are ready to help people reach those goals. Here are a few tips for starting on this year’s resolutions: Find the time to be active. The U.S. Depart- ment of Health and Human Services released new physical activity guidelines for preschool- aged children and older in November. They rec- ommend adults get at least 150-300 minutes of David W. Ussery, PhD