OBI's Centre for Analytics Joins Neurobagel Network to Advance Open Neuroscience Data Discovery
16 décembre 2025
Accelerating discovery and strengthening global research collaboration while maintaining data security and researcher control
The Ontario Brain Institute's Centre for Analytics (CfA) has joined Neurobagel, an open-science federated network designed to help researchers discover and access neuroscience datasets that meet their specific study requirements.
As part of this initiative, OBI will first make the Ontario Neurodegenerative Disease Research Initiative (ONDRI) dataset discoverable through the Neurobagel network, enabling researchers to build cohorts that span ONDRI alongside diverse harmonized resources worldwide, including OpenNeuro, INDI, and others. ONDRI is a comprehensive, multi-modal research collection focused on neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, mild cognitive impairment, frontotemporal dementia, cerebrovascular disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Enhancing Data Discovery Without Compromising Control
Neurobagel addresses a critical challenge in neuroscience research: finding datasets that match precise cohort criteria. Traditional data discovery often requires researchers to know exactly which datasets exist and where to find them. Neurobagel's federated approach allows researchers to search across multiple participating institutions simultaneously, filtering by demographics, assessment types, imaging modalities, and other relevant characteristics.
Critically, data custodians who install a Neurobagel node maintain complete control over their datasets. The system makes data discoverable without requiring it to be centrally stored or transferred, preserving institutional autonomy and data governance structures.
Advancing FAIR Principles in Brain Research
This partnership aligns with OBI's longstanding commitment to FAIR data principles — making research Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. By participating in Neurobagel, the Centre for Analytics expands the reach and impact of Ontario's brain research while maintaining rigorous privacy and security standards.
"Advancing solutions for neurological conditions requires rich multi-modal data that often transcends institutional boundaries," said Dr. Francis Jeanson, Head of the OBI's Centre for Analytics. "Neurobagel enables global collaboration by helping researchers worldwide discover and combine the specific cohorts they need across multiple datasets—all while respecting data governance and security requirements.”
The Centre for Analytics continues to lead efforts in harmonizing, curating, and enabling access to brain research data through platforms like Brain-CODE and collaborative initiatives like Neurobagel.
About the Centre for Analytics
The OBI's Centre for Analytics provides advanced analytical services, data harmonization, and statistical support to researchers across OBI's research networks. The Centre helps ensure that brain research data meets international standards for quality and interoperability, maximizing its scientific value and impact.
Learn more: https://braininstitute.ca/research-data-sharing/centre-for-analytics
About Neurobagel
Neurobagel is an open-source project that creates federated infrastructure for neuroscience data discovery, enabling researchers to search across distributed datasets while preserving institutional data control.
Learn more: https://query.neurobagel.org