Pennington Biomedical's Jeffery Keller, PhD, has been named principal investigator to oversee Answer ALS' open access data repository, Neuromine. Serving as director for Pennington Biomedical's Institute for Dementia Research and Prevention and a professor of aging and neurodegeneration, Keller will help lead the growth of access to Answer ALS data repository.
"I'm honored to join the effort and momentum Answer ALS has created," said Keller. "With over 300 new, independent research projects started as a result of open access to this tremendous rich data set, I'm looking forward to building on that momentum through rapidly advancing AI and organoid capabilities.
Keller joins Terri Thompson, PhD, Answer ALS's director of data management in the oversite Neuromine Data Portal. In his role as principal investigator, Keller is assuming that role from Jeffrey Rothstein, MD, PhD, director of both the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research and the Brain Science Institute at Johns Hopkins. Rothstein helped found Answer ALS research and he continues to play a pivotal role in its progress, along with the entire consortium of ALS researchers around the country.
Answer ALS was founded in 2014, resulting from a summit lead by Team Gleason when Steve Gleason challenged the research community to develop a business plan to bring an end to ALS. Comprised of eight ALS clinics, dozens of institutions, tech industry leaders, and with the participation of more than 1,000 people living with ALS, Answer ALS created a comprehensive and open access data repository, freely available and featuring associated biological samples.
"Consensus is growing that a major breakthrough in ALS will involve big data, human based samples and the application of machine learning and AI, said Ed Rapp, Answer ALS Advisory Board Chair, former Global President of Caterpillar, and a person living with ALS. "I believe Dr. Keller's unique experience and perspective will not only help further our role in those areas, but also foster growth in how others access the tools we make publicly available."