Autism Speaks Selects Prometheus Research to Develop Integrated Data Management System

NEW HAVEN, Conn., May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Prometheus Research, a leading provider of data management services for behavioral and biomedical research, announced today that it has been selected by Autism Speaks to develop an integrated data management system which will enable autism researchers to securely manage and share their data. The newly organized Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) Data Coordinating Center (DCC) centralizes clinical, environmental, and biospecimen data from several Autism Speaks-funded programs and initiatives to better serve the research community.

Using their Research Exchange Database (RexDB®) platform and best-of-breed electronic data capture system, ROADS, Prometheus empowers researchers to effectively manage and exchange interdisciplinary data while maintaining the flexibility to incorporate new significant results such as genetic, EEG, imaging data and additional studies.

"We're very excited to begin working with Autism Speaks, a premier autism research and advocacy organization. This project will enable wider integration of Autism Speaks' valuable research data and enable them to re-use the data in ways not possible before," said Dr. Leon Rozenblit, President and CEO of Prometheus Research. 

Prometheus Research's domain expertise in autism and related disorders makes it an ideal partner for Autism Speaks.  Prometheus has supported or collaborated on some of the largest and most ambitious autism research endeavors in the world, including the National Database for Autism Research (NDAR). The tools and processes they've helped develop in the areas of study governance, data collection, data curation, data distribution, and data persistence are now considered best practices for collaborative research, and are already in use at places like the Yale Child Study Center and the Marcus Autism Center.

"AGRE's dedication to collaboration and data sharing has accelerated the pace of autism research significantly over the last decade," said Autism Speaks Vice President of Clinical Programs Clara Lajonchere, Ph.D. "We strive to utilize technology that will meet the emerging needs of science and feel that the team at Prometheus Research has developed the tools that will help us achieve our goals."

About Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization. It is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Mr. Wright is the former vice chairman of General Electric and chief executive officer of NBC and NBC Universal. Since its inception, Autism Speaks has committed over $180 million to research and developing innovative resources for families. Each year Walk Now for Autism Speaks events are held in more than 95 cities across North America. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org.

About Prometheus Research
Prometheus Research provides data management services and web-native data-management software to biomedical researchers investigating autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Its team specializes in designing and building systems capable of accelerating complex interdisciplinary research and of multiplying the value of hard-won research data. Prometheus staff are consummate innovators, and Prometheus technology powers some of the most ambitious and important research endeavors in autism, including the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI). Many of these innovations also are made available to the open source software community, most notably HTSQL, an instant Web interface for databases, and the Research Exchange Database, RexDB®. To learn more about Prometheus Research, please visit http://www.prometheusresearch.com.

SOURCE Prometheus Research