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Published on: June 22, 2016
Tolerogenic dendritic cell reporting: Has a minimum information model made a difference?
Ayesha Sahar1, Ioana Nicorescu2, Gabrielle Barran2
1School of Computing Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Minimum information models are reporting frameworks that describe the essential information that needs to be provided in a publication, so that the work can be repeated or compared to other work. In 2016, Minimum Information about Tolerogenic Antigen-Presenting cells (MITAP) was created to standardize the reporting on tolerogenic antigen-presenting cells, including tolerogenic dendritic cells (tolDCs). tolDCs is a generic term for dendritic cells that have the ability to (re-)establish immune tolerance; they have been developed as a cell therapy for autoimmune diseases or for the prevention of transplant rejection. Because protocols to generate these therapeutic cells vary widely, MITAP was deemed to be a pivotal reporting tool by and for the tolDC community. In this paper, we explored the impact that MITAP has had on the tolDC field. We did this by examining a subset of the available literature on tolDCs. Our analysis shows that MITAP is used in only the minority of relevant papers (14%), but where it is used the amount of metadata available is slightly increased over where it is not. From this, we conclude that MITAP has been a partial success, but that much more needs to be done if standardized reporting is to become common within the discipline.
Insights
The Minimum Information about Tolerogenic Antigen-Presenting cells (MITAP) reporting framework has had limited adoption (14%) in the tolerogenic dendritic cells (tolDCs) field. While it slightly improves metadata, wider use is needed for standardized reporting in cell therapy research.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Therapy
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Minimum information models standardize scientific reporting for reproducibility and comparison.
- Tolerogenic antigen-presenting cells (tolAPCs), including tolerogenic dendritic cells (tolDCs), are crucial for immune tolerance and cell therapies.
- Existing protocols for generating tolDCs are highly variable, necessitating standardized reporting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact and adoption of the Minimum Information about Tolerogenic Antigen-Presenting cells (MITAP) framework.
- To assess the extent to which MITAP has influenced reporting standards in the tolDC research field.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of a subset of publications on tolDCs.
- Analysis of the usage of the MITAP framework in the selected literature.
- Quantification of metadata availability in papers using MITAP versus those not using it.
Main Results:
- MITAP was utilized in only 14% of the examined tolDC literature.
- Papers employing MITAP showed a marginal increase in available metadata compared to non-MITAP papers.
- The adoption of standardized reporting through MITAP has been limited.
Conclusions:
- MITAP has achieved partial success in the tolDC field.
- Significant efforts are required to increase the adoption of MITAP and achieve widespread standardized reporting.
- Further community engagement and integration are necessary for MITAP's broader impact on cell therapy research.
