TB Portals

TB Portals integrates de-identified clinical, imaging, socioeconomic, and genomic sequencing data to support analysis of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (DR-TB) epidemiology and genomic determinants of resistance.

Key Features:

• Global network data collection: A network of institutions contributes de-identified clinical, imaging, socioeconomic, and genomic sequencing data to a shared repository.
• Genomic and metadata repository: Hosts complete M.tb genomes, spoligotypes, strain classifications, and genomic variants associated with drug resistance.
• Data Exploration Portal (DEPOT): Provides visualization, cohort definition, and statistical analysis capabilities across the database.
• Genomic variability monitoring: Tracks genomic variability in M.tb strains to identify variants that may influence DR-TB incidence, diagnosis, or treatment.
• Large-scale statistical analysis: Performs statistical analyses on integrated clinical, imaging, socioeconomic, and genomic datasets.

Scientific Applications:

• Epidemiological studies: Investigate the distribution and frequency of drug-resistant strains across regions and identify high-burden areas (e.g., Belarus).
• Genomic research: Study genomic variants that contribute to drug resistance or increased pathogen fitness to inform diagnostic and therapeutic development.
• Public health interventions: Inform region-specific public health policies and interventions using integrated genetic and metadata analyses.

Methodology:

Integrates de-identified clinical (including imaging), socioeconomic, and genomic sequencing data and performs statistical analyses on large datasets.