CFDE Unites Data Enthusiasts During Hackathon before Kick-Off of Bio-IT World Conference

May 13, 2025

By Allissa Dillman and Regina Renfro 

May 13, 2025 | Last month, a cohort of 40 participants convened for the Common Fund Data Ecosystem Open Source and FAIR Data Hackathon at the 6th Annual Bio-IT World Hackathon held April 1–2, 2025 in Boston, Mass. Teams tackled a broad range of challenges including linking glycoenzyme expression to disease pathways; enabling cellular-level comparisons using HuBMAP imaging data; matching cancer subtypes to drugs using Drug Central from IDG in combination with other datasets; analyzing the impact of endurance training on molecular changes across tissues in rats; and creating interactive pathways for immune-related diseases. 

The Common Fund Data Ecosystem (CFDE) unites expansive biomedical data and powerful analytical tools, enabling researchers to tackle complex scientific challenges that were previously out of reach. The CFDE Training Center facilitated the Hackathon to promote available CFDE datasets, tools, and resources. Teams focused on integrating multi-omics, structural, and network-based approaches to unlock new discoveries across disciplines, and implementing FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles. This event fostered a dynamic environment of open learning, collaboration, and problem-solving, leaving participants engaged and energized for future data use.  

The Common Fund Data Ecosystem Training Center is managed by ORAU, a 501(c) not for profit corporation, in coordination with BioData Sage LLC.  

Diverse Backgrounds, Various Projects 

The hackathon drew individuals from different backgrounds including students, data scientists, software engineers, bioinformaticians, and life science researchers, all united by a shared commitment to open science and data-driven discovery. The aim was to improve interoperability between CFDE and external datasets, tools, and platforms.   

Team Projects can be accessed through their Hackathon repositories or you can access all of the projects at https://bit.ly/BioITHack2025repos. 

The event fostered an atmosphere of energy and curiosity. Instead of simply working side-by-side, participants engaged in knowledge exchanges, creative brainstorming, and spontaneous troubleshooting, promoting a general sense of community.  

Five spotlight presentations, including an overview of CFDE from the CFDE Knowledge Center, an overview of the CFDE training center, a look at AWS open data, an exploration of a FAIR maturity Matrix by the Pistoia Alliance, and a brainstorm session on leveraging data in the CFDE, added depth and context to the hands-on work. 

In a survey onsite at the end of the hackathon, 95% of participants expressed their interest in participating in similar events in the future. This positive feedback underscores the value of these immersive events to promote FAIR data practices and as catalysts for experimentation, cross-disciplinary thinking, and real progress in making biomedical data more useful and usable. Participation and interest in future events signal a promising future for collaborative efforts aimed at unlocking the full potential of data for research and innovation.  

 

The Common Fund Data Ecosystem (CFDE) Training Center is managed by ORAU, a 501(c) not for profit corporation, in coordination with BioData Sage LLC. The CFDE TC is supported in whole by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund under award 1OT2OD037922-01.  

This Hackathon report was written by the Hackathon Organizing Team and is solely the responsibility of the CFDE TC and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Organizing team includes Allissa Dillman, PhD; Jennifer Burnette, MPH; LaFrancis Gibson, MBA, MPH, CHES; David Burns, MS; Kelli Bursey, MPH, CHES; Diane Krause, MS-MPH, CPH, RDN; Regina Renfro, BA; and Kristi Sadowski, MLS.