About the Portal
The ARK Portal is a public data repository that stores and shares data and research knowledge generated by a network of research teams focused on autoimmune and immune-related diseases.
The ARK Portal is funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). It is developed and maintained by Sage Bionetworks. If you have questions, suggestions, or feedback about the ARK Portal, please contact us here.
History
The ARK Portal was originally established as part of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (AMP® RA/SLE) Program which was initiated in 2014 between the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and several nonprofit organizations and pharmaceutical companies. Together, this public‐private partnership has funded an open, pre‐competitive discovery effort with the goal of working collaboratively to deepen the understanding of autoimmune diseases through a focus on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
ARK Portal ↔︎ Synapse
At this point, you know what the ARK Portal is, and you may have come across the term Synapse - but how do they fit together? Let’s break this down:
Sage Bionetworks | First, there’s Sage Bionetworks - a name you may or may not have come across. While Sage is not a tool you’ll be using, you should know who we are: a non-profit organization based out of Seattle, Washington. Sage is dedicated to promoting and advancing open science, as well as engaging patients in the research process. Sage acts as the Data Coordinating Center (DCC) for several different portals, including the ARK Portal. The scientists, developers, and designers that built the tools you’re using are all employed by Sage. You can learn more about Sage Bionetworks and its initiatives here. |
Synapse | In line with advocating for open science, Sage developed a software platform called Synapse. This platform is what allows for collaborative data curation and analysis, computational modelling, and more. It allows users to upload, store, analyze, and track data in a private space, before releasing it to the public-facing ARK Portal. Think of Synapse as the back-end for all the data to live in. |
ARK Portal | If Synapse is the back-end for data, the ARK Portal is the front. It’s essentially the user interface (UI) or entry point for you to view data and other shared content. Data gets uplo |