Brain-CODE

What is Brain-CODE?

Our central database, Brain-CODE, helps more than 160 researchers at over 20 institutions across Ontario share their data.

The state-of-the-art database is designed to store, manage, and analyze the many different types of data collected by researchers around the province.

In the age of "big data", new research technologies are creating a flood of information about the brain. We designed Brain-CODE in a way that allows scientists, clinicians, and industry to work together with this rich store of data in powerful new ways, enabling breakthroughs in brain-related health to happen more quickly and benefiting people in Ontario and beyond.

Now, OBI’s new Centre for Analytics (CfA) is providing a new pathway to the next stage of scientific knowledge creation and translation. Established in 2023 and powered by Brain-CODE, the CfA is being positioned to provide a world-class platform for neuroanalytics technologies and skills development that will benefit patients and stimulate industry innovation, as well as create jobs in the rapidly growing neurotechnology and brain sciences space.

What is Brain-CODE? use Brain-CODE read the governance policy

What does Brain-CODE offer?

  • Privacy by Design

    Brain-CODE was designed with privacy and security best practices at its foundation to enable the secure capture and sharing of participant data.

  • Standardization

    Common Data Elements (CDEs) define and format the different types of research variables to allow efficient comparison of data and increased opportunities for sharing.

  • Advanced Computing

    Ongoing platform development enables access to advanced software and tools for data management, curation and analytics within a web-based high performance computing environment.

  • Federation

    Capacity for linkages to other databases across Canada and around the world allows researchers to leverage existing data resources, making new discoveries possible.

Experience and Leadership

To develop Brain-CODE, we partnered with the Indoc Consortium, which consists of:

Advisory Committees

  • Brain-CODE Advisory Committee

    The Brain-CODE Advisory Committee which advises the OBI and its staff on the trends and developments in informatics and analytics and provides direction for the progress of Brain-CODE, ensuring it meets international best practices on data organization, sharing and analysis.

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  • Analytics Advisory Committee

    The Analytics Advisory Committee advises on the analytics direction of Brain-CODE, ensuring the platform meets international best practices on data curation and integrated data analysis for discovery and sharing.

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  • Data Access Committee

    The Data Access Committee develops data access and sharing policies, manages data access, and makes recommendations to the Informatics Steering Committee regarding the release of data to third parties.

  • Informatics Steering Committee

    The Brain-CODE Informatics Steering Committee makes recommendations on all issues relating to the establishment and management of Brain-CODE to the OBI President and Scientific Director, Board Chair and Board, who serve as the final authority. The Informatics Steering Committee ensures that all progress is timely, of high quality and remains in line with OBI's vision.