About us
The collection of genomic data is a key technology in biomedical research. These data are increasingly used in diagnostics and personalized medicine. As a result, comprehensive and well-characterized datasets are being generated at a growing number of research institutions and in clinical care across Germany. To unlock their full potential, seamless and data protection-compliant integration of these datasets is essential. Only then can modern computational methods, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, be effectively leveraged. At the same time, it is crucial to balance open data access for the research community with the protection of patient privacy.
To achieve this balance, the German Human Genome-Phenome Archive (GHGA) has established a national infrastructure for human genomic data. This platform enables the secure storage and cross-institutional use of highly sensitive genomic data within a standardized, privacy-compliant framework.
GHGA is well connected both nationally and internationally. Its data hubs serve as genome data centers within the model project genomic sequencing, which aims to assess the clinical value of genomic sequencing for patients with cancer or rare diseases. As the national node of the Federated European Genome-Phenome Archive (FEGA) and the European Genomic Data Infrastructure (GDI), GHGA aligns with specific national data protection regulations while being closely integrated with international research infrastructures. This ensures that datasets are not only secure but also easily discoverable and optimally accessible for both national and international research communities.
GHGA also addresses the research community’s need for efficient and user-friendly analysis tools. In the future, the platform will offer Secure Data Processing Environments and advanced tools for large-scale data analysis, enabling secure and scalable computations.
Goals
- Provision of a national long-term archive of human omics data
- Addressing legal and ethical barriers to data sharing in research
- Increasing the FAIRness of omics data (embedding in national and international data infrastructures)
- Developing and providing customised data portals to meet specific requirements for datasets and analysis tools
- Raising awareness of the efficient and responsible use and management of omics data
- Democratisation of access and analysis of extensive omics data via a cloud-based analysis platform
Task Area
Prof. Dr. Oliver Stegle
Speaker of the consortium
Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum
Applicant institution
Oliver Kohlbacher
Board of Directors
Jan Korbel
Board of Directors
Eva Winkler
Board of Directors
(Co-)applicant institutions and (co-)speakers:
- Peer Bork – EMBL, Heidelberg
- Ivo Buchhalter – DKFZ, Heidelberg
- Andreas Dahl – TU Dresden, Dresden
- Julien Gagneur – TUM, München
- Wolfgang Huber – EMBL, Heidelberg
- Daniel Hübschmann – DKFZ, Heidelberg
- Oliver Kohlbacher – EKUT, Tübingen
- Jan Korbel – EMBL, Heidelberg
- Martin Lablans – DKFZ, Heidelberg
- Peter Lichter – DKFZ, Heidelberg
- Fruzsina Molnár-Gábor – HAdW, Heidelberg
- Susanne Motameny – UzK, Köln
- Sven Nahnsen – EKUT, Tübingen
- Uwe Ohler – MDC, Berlin
- Stephan Ossowski – UKT, Tübingen
- Annette Peters – HMGU, München
- Olaf Rieß – UKT, Tübingen
- Philip Rosenstiel – UKI, Kiel
- Thorsten Schlomm – CHARITE, Berlin
- Joachim Schultze – DZNE, Bonn
- Oliver Stegle – DKFZ/EMBL, Heidelberg
- Jörn Walter – UdS, Saarbrücken
- Thomas Walter – EKUT, Tübingen
- Stefan Wesner – UzK, Köln
- Juliane Winkelmann – HMGU & TUM, München
- Eva Winkler – UHH, Heidelberg
- Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen (EKUT)
- University Hospital Tübingen (UKT)
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Charité)
- Technische Universität München (TUM)
- Europäisches Laboratorium für Molekularbiologie (EMBL)
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Technische Universität
- Dresden (TU Dresden)
- University Hospital Heidelberg (UHH)
- Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften (HAdW)
- Universität zu Köln (UzK)
- Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein (UKI)
- Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU)
- Dt. Zentrum für Neurodeg. Erkrankungen e.V. (DZNE)
- Universität des Saarlandes (UdS)
- German National Cohort (GNC)
Participating Institutions
- Viktor Achter – UzK
- Dieter Beule – MDC, Berlin
- Benedikt Brors – DKFZ, Heidelberg
- Holm Graessner – UKT, Tübingen
- Michael Hummel – Charité, Berlin
- Dirk Jäger – UHH, Heidelberg
- Jens Krüger – EKUT, Tübingen
- Nisar Malek – UKT, Tübingen
- Thomas Meitinger – HMGU & TUM, München
- Wolfgang E. Nagel – TU Dresden, Dresden
- Julio Saez-Rodriguez – UHH, Heidelberg
- Christoph Schickhardt – UHH, Heidelberg
- Thomas Keane – EMBL-EBI Cambridge, UK
- Mario Fritz & Ninja Marnau – CISPA Saarbrücken
- Stephan Hachinger – LRZ München
- Alice McHardy – HZI Braunschweig
- Stefan Fröhling & Hanno Glimm – National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg and Dresden
Oliver Stegle
Speaker of the consortium
Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum
Antragsstellende Institution
Oliver Kohlbacher
Board of Directors
Jan Korbel
Board of Directors
Eva Winkler
Board of Directors
(Co-)applicant institutions and (co-)speakers:
- Peer Bork – EMBL, Heidelberg
- Ivo Buchhalter – DKFZ, Heidelberg
- Andreas Dahl – TU Dresden, Dresden
- Julien Gagneur – TUM, München
- Wolfgang Huber – EMBL, Heidelberg
- Daniel Hübschmann – DKFZ, Heidelberg
- Oliver Kohlbacher – EKUT, Tübingen
- Jan Korbel – EMBL, Heidelberg
- Martin Lablans – DKFZ, Heidelberg
- Peter Lichter – DKFZ, Heidelberg
- Fruzsina Molnár-Gábor – HAdW, Heidelberg
- Susanne Motameny – UzK, Köln
- Sven Nahnsen – EKUT, Tübingen
- Uwe Ohler – MDC, Berlin
- Stephan Ossowski – UKT, Tübingen
- Annette Peters – HMGU, München
- Olaf Rieß – UKT, Tübingen
- Philip Rosenstiel – UKI, Kiel
- Thorsten Schlomm – CHARITE, Berlin
- Joachim Schultze – DZNE, Bonn
- Oliver Stegle – DKFZ/EMBL, Heidelberg
- Jörn Walter – UdS, Saarbrücken
- Thomas Walter – EKUT, Tübingen
- Stefan Wesner – UzK, Köln
- Juliane Winkelmann – HMGU & TUM, München
- Eva Winkler – UHH, Heidelberg
- Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen (EKUT)
- University Hospital Tübingen (UKT)
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Charité)
- Technische Universität München (TUM)
- Europäisches Laboratorium für Molekularbiologie (EMBL)
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Technische Universität
- Dresden (TU Dresden)
- University Hospital Heidelberg (UHH)
- Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften (HAdW)
- Universität zu Köln (UzK)
- Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein (UKI)
- Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU)
- Dt. Zentrum für Neurodeg. Erkrankungen e.V. (DZNE)
- Universität des Saarlandes (UdS)
- German National Cohort (GNC)
Participating institutions:
-
- Viktor Achter – UzK
- Dieter Beule – MDC, Berlin
- Benedikt Brors – DKFZ, Heidelberg
- Holm Graessner – UKT, Tübingen
- Michael Hummel – Charité, Berlin
- Dirk Jäger – UHH, Heidelberg
- Jens Krüger – EKUT, Tübingen
- Nisar Malek – UKT, Tübingen
- Thomas Meitinger – HMGU & TUM, München
- Wolfgang E. Nagel – TU Dresden, Dresden
- Julio Saez-Rodriguez – UHH, Heidelberg
- Christoph Schickhardt – UHH, Heidelberg
- Thomas Keane – EMBL-EBI Cambridge, UK
- Mario Fritz & Ninja Marnau – CISPA Saarbrücken
- Stephan Hachinger – LRZ München
- Alice McHardy – HZI Braunschweig
- Stefan Fröhling & Hanno Glimm – National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg and Dresden
