Using web services for linking genomic data to medical information systems

Objectives: To develop a new perspective for biomedical information systems, regarding the introduction of ideas, methods and tools related to the new scenario of genomic medicine. Methods: Technological aspects related to the analysis and integration of heterogeneous clinical and genomic data include mapping clinical and genetic concepts, potential future standards or the development of integrated biomedical ontologies. In this dinicomics scenario, we describe the use of Web services technologies to improve access to and integrate different information sources. We give a concrete example of the use of Web services technologies: the OntoFusion project. Results: Web services provide new biomedical informatics (BMI) approaches related to genomic medicine. Customized workflows will aid research tasks by linking heterogeneous Web services. Two significant examples of these European Commission-funded efforts are the INFOBICIMED Network of Excellence and the Advancing Clinico-Genomic Trials on Cancer (ACGT) integrated project. Conclusions: Supplying medical researchers and practitioners with omics data and biologists with clinical datasets can help to develop genomic medicine. BMI is contributing by providing the informatics methods and technological infrastructure needed for these collaborative efforts.