资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

04/07/2019

New bioimaging data available to researchers could offer new insights into how life works on a molecular level, advancing our knowledge of human health and disease, food security and biodiversity.

The European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) near Cambridge, part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is expanding its remit to include bioimaging data.

Through its new, dedicated resource for biological images, called the BioImage Archive, EMBL-EBI aims to make it easier for researchers around the world to store, share, access and analyse biological images.

The Archive is a result of a £45 million boost from the government through UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI’s) Strategic Priorities Fund.

“EMBL-EBI’s expertise in data coordination and its links to the wider imaging community make it ideally-placed to coordinate and support the creation of a centralised data resource for imaging data,” says Melanie Welham, Executive Chair of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, part of UKRI. “We are pleased to support this initiative and are looking forward to seeing it grow.”

The BioImage Archive is part of a wider EMBL drive to improve access to imaging technology and data. EMBL is in the process of building a new Imaging Centre in Heidelberg, Germany, which will enable researchers to access the latest microscopy technologies.

Further information

• EMBL-EBI also receives funding from the Wellcome Trust and Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union.
• The European Bioinformatics Institute is a global leader in the storage, analysis and dissemination of large biological datasets and are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus, near Cambridge.
• EMBL is Europe’s leading laboratory for the life sciences.
• The Strategic Priorities Fund builds on the vision of a ‘common fund’ set out in Sir Paul Nurse’s review. The SPF will support high quality research and development priorities which would otherwise be missed – multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary programmes identified by researchers and businesses at the cutting edge of research and innovation. See here for details of Strategic Priorities Fund calls.