Behind every dataset submitted, every access request processed, and every technical question answered, there is a team working quietly to keep things moving: the Helpdesk (HD). With the onset of 2026, this feels like the right moment to look back on what 2025 has been like for the HD team: the challenges we faced, how we adapted, and where we're heading next. Why the Helpdesk matters to EGA The EGA Helpdesk is more than a support channel. It plays a key role in maintaining trust in the EGA ecosystem. By supporting data submitters, researchers, Data Access Committees (DACs), and institutional partners, the HD helps ensure that data can flow securely, efficiently, and reliably. When issues arise, the Helpdesk is often the first place where their impact is felt and addressed. In that sense, the HD sits at the intersection of technology, policy, and people. One Helpdesk, two locations, one shared mission The EGA Helpdesk is a joint, distributed team working closely across two locations: CRG (Barcelona, Spain) and EMBL-EBI (Cambridge, UK). Although we are based in different institutions, we operate as a single Helpdesk, with shared workflows, priorities, and responsibility towards users. At CRG, the HD team is formed by: Andrea Max Àlex and me At EMBL-EBI, we work closely with: Silvia Coline Aravind What defines us as a team is simple: we work user-first, even under pressure. In a highly technical environment, clarity, empathy, and consistency matter just as much as tools and processes. A close collaboration across sites is essential to making that happen. What does the EGA Helpdesk do? The HD supports users across the full lifecycle of data in EGA. This includes: Data submissions, uploads, and encryption workflows. Data access requests and permissions. Questions around policies, consent, and data usage. Technical and system-related issues. Coordination between users, internal teams, and external partners. 2025: growth, change, and recalibration 2025 was a year of growth, but not always a predictable one. Early in the year, several technical and system-related challenges required us to adjust our original plans. Priorities shifted, timelines changed, and some improvements had to be rethought. For the HD team, this is often the hardest part of the job: we see delays through the eyes of users and understand the real impact they can have on ongoing research. One of the key lessons from 2025 was that stability is not only a technical challenge, but also an organisational one. Teamwork proved to be essential: anticipating peak periods, sharing context early, and coordinating closely across teams made a tangible difference. When things became complex, working together across roles and locations was what allowed us to keep moving forward. In 2025, the Helpdesk received 5.313 tickets and resolved 5.511 requests, reflecting both increased adoption of EGA and the team’s ability to absorb higher demand. At the same time, demand continued to grow. Compared to 2024, ticket creation increased by over 6%, while resolution capacity grew by more than 11%. The team not only kept up with incoming requests but also resolved part of the accumulated backlog, finishing the year having solved more tickets than were created. The real challenge of 2025 was not overall performance, but how the workload was concentrated during peak months. Seasonality and demand spikes placed pressure on the system, even while overall efficiency remained strong. On a team level, 2025 was also a year of transition. I joined the HD leadership role in January 2025, stepping into a period of change and rapid learning. Later in the year, in October, we said goodbye to Raül, and in January 2026, we welcomed Àlex, strengthening the team for the next phase. What users needed most in 2025 While requests vary widely, some themes stood out throughout the year: Support with data submissions and uploads Data access requests and permissions Technical and system-related issues As EGA matures, day-to-day operations have become more complex. Many long-running tickets are not delayed due to a lack of follow-up, but because they depend on external approvals, cross-institutional coordination, or multi-step processes. Understanding these patterns helps us focus not just on resolving tickets, but on improving how work flows through the system. Looking ahead to 2026 With a reinforced team and clearer insights from 2025, our focus for 2026 shifts from throughput to flow. Key priorities include: Strengthening our web content and documentation Reducing structural backlog Improving cross-team and cross-system coordination Anticipating peak demand earlier and planning capacity accordingly Challenges will continue to arise in 2026, as they always do. However, 2025 reinforced something important: a stable, empathetic, and well-aligned Helpdesk team is essential to supporting EGA's mission at scale. Supporting users well means supporting research, and that remains at the core of what we do.
ChIP-Seq data for 5 CD8-positive, alpha-beta T cell sample(s). 26 run(s), 26 experiment(s), 26 alignment(s) on human genome GRCh38. Part of BLUEPRINT release August 2015. Analysis documentation available at http://ftp.ebi.ac.uk/pub/databases/blueprint/releases/20150820/homo_sapiens/README_chipseq_analysis_ebi_20150820
The uploaded data includes sequencing data of 862 individuals from the nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) screening study. Samples from this cohort were sequenced using targeted sequencing methods for the Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) and selected autosomal DNA, but only ‘off-target’ reads were used for fragmentomic analyses. We have also performed genome-wide (non-targeted sequencing) for 1) Individuals with the highest and lowest cell-free DNA concentration (40 individuals); 2) A subsequent collection of the subjects with the highest and lowest DNA concentrations after six years (26 individuals); 3) 30 cases of pregnancy and 4) 20 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. All sequencing data are of extracted plasma cfDNA from human subjects. The targeted sequencing samples from 862 individuals were sequenced on the NextSeq500 System (Illumina) and aligned to the EBV genome (AJ507799.2) and the human genome (hg19). The alignments were provided in bam format. The original fastq files of the remaining non-target sequencing samples were provided.
In a randomized controlled clinical trial, investigators will compare the effects on [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) from two treatment regimens in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients deemed methotrexate inadequate responders (MTX-IRs). Two common RA treatments will be compared: triple therapy (sulfasalazine, methotrexate, and hydroxychloroquine) versus tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor (etanercept or adalimumab, plus background methotrexate for all subjects and hydroxychloroquine for subjects who were taking this at screening). Consenting subjects will be screened for eligibility and randomized to a treatment arm. Subjects will be randomized to a treatment arm with either synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) [triple therapy: sulfasalazine, methotrexate, and hydroxychloroquine] or biologic DMARDs [etanercept or adalimumab, plus background methotrexate for all subjects and hydroxychloroquine for subjects who were taking this at screening]. Once randomized, a baseline visit will be conducted with each subject. Baseline data collection includes questionnaires, disease activity score, and the first FDG-PET/CT imaging. After the baseline at week 0, subjects will visit with their rheumatologist at weeks 6, 12, 18, and 24 for safety labs and further collection of disease activity scores and questionnaires. The second FDG-PET/CT will be performed at week 24. Blood specimens will be collected at weeks 0, 6, 18, and 24 for bioassays. Subject participation will end after the week 24 visit. Patients and care providers will be unblinded. The FDG-PET/CT image readers will be blinded to treatment arm as well as timepoint of image acquisition.
Associated with the study: Blood-based Monitoring of Relapsed/Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients Predict Responses to Anti-PD-1 Treatment. 26 ctDNA Samples from 4 patients followed longitudinally. sWGS performed for copy number aberration (CNA) analysis.
DAC for RNA-seq of tumor samples from clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients included in the Translational Program of the NIVOREN GETUG-AFU-26 trial.
The Pregnancy Outcome Prediction (POP) study is a prospective cohort study of nulliparous women attending the Rosie Hospital (Cambridge, UK) for their dating ultrasound scan. The study included 4512 women with a viable singleton pregnancy; study participants provided written informed consent and were recruited between January 2008 and July 2012. The POP study aimed both at evaluating performance of known biomarkers and serial ultrasonography in assessing maternal and fetal well-being, as well as identifying novel biomarkers. The study is sufficiently large to be powered for relatively uncommon adverse pregnancy outcomes. Women attended four study visits scheduled every 8 weeks, starting with the first trimester. Participants had blood taken during the dating/recruitment visit (at approximately 12 weeks gestation (wkGA)), as well as at three subsequent visits (at ∼20wkGA, ∼28wkGA and ∼36wkGA). For more detail, please visit: https://www.obgyn.cam.ac.uk/research/pops-2/.
Various molecular profiles are needed to classify malignant brain tumors, including gliomas, based on the latest classification criteria of the World Health Organization, and their poor prognosis necessitates new therapeutic targets. The Todai OncoPanel 2 RNA Panel (TOP2-RNA) is a custom-target RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) using the junction capture method to maximize the sensitivity of detecting 455 fusion gene transcripts and analyze the expression profiles of 1,390 genes. This study aimed to classify gliomas and identify their molecular targets using TOP2-RNA. A total of 124 frozen samples of malignant gliomas were subjected to TOP2-RNA for classification based on their molecular profiles and the identification of molecular targets.
Files from whole exome sequencing of 26 tumors and two matched normals from one melanoma patient. The 26 tumors include the untreated primary, cutaneous metastases and distant metastases to internal organs.
Relapse is currently the major cause of death in children with B-ALL. The goal of this study is to uncover the genetic underpinnings of relapsed B-ALL in the AALL1331 cohort (PMID: 33651090) via whole genome and transcriptome sequencing of matched diagnosis, relapse, and remission specimens. We aim to discover genetic alterations that drive treatment resistance in relapsed tumors. We also aim to investigate the feasibility of detecting residual tumors from remission samples with the ultimate goal to improve risk stratification using NGS-based minimal residual disease (MRD) detection. Here we only report data from patients in remission with the aim of determining MRD. We will submit corresponding data for the diagnosis and relapse components of our cohort in a future version of our study.
