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Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Working with Human Tissues for Translational Cancer Research
Published on: November 26, 2015
An Architecture for Translational Cancer Research As Exemplified by the German Cancer Consortium
Martin Lablans1, Esther Erika Schmidt1, Frank Ückert1
1All authors: German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.
Abstract:
Networking of medical institutions by means of a capable data infrastructure has the potential to open up vast amounts of routine data to translational cancer research. However, the secondary use of information collected independently in several institutions is a challenging task of data integration. In this review, we discuss the requirements and common challenges involved in the establishment of such a platform. We present methods and tools from the field of medical informatics as solutions to semantic and technical heterogeneity, questions of data protection and record linkage, as well as issues of trust and data ownership. We also describe the architecture of an existing cancer research network as an exemplary application of these methods.
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