Secure research environment makes eye health data more accessible for research
- INSIGHT communications team
- Sep 25, 2024
- 2 min read
INSIGHT has launched a Secure Research Environment (SRE) to provide approved researchers with a platform for accessing and analysing large-scale, anonymised data.
An SRE, also known as Trusted Research Environment (TRE) or 'Data Safe Haven', is a highly secure computing environment that allows researchers to access health data remotely. The SRE is a widely accepted approach within the NHS for provisioning access to patient data and a valuable tool for advancing scientific discovery.
The INSIGHT SRE augments the existing infrastructure of the INSIGHT Health Data Research Hub Programme at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which has made it possible to collate, curate and anonymise routinely collected patient eye data into research-primed datasets comprising millions of eye images linked to clinical data. Access to the SRE is subject to a Data Use Application to INSIGHT, which follows a rigorous research governance process. For more information visit Applying for data.
INSIGHT data covers a range of modalities and eye conditions, including ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ AMD, diabetic retinopathy, cataract, and retinal vein occlusion. It further encompasses systemic disease data, linking eye biomarkers to neurological and other general health conditions.
The INSIGHT data lake is continuously updated and refreshed, with clinical research expertise provided by a team of research fellows led by Pearse Keane, spanning Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL’s Institute of Ophthalmology (IoO).
“The SRE is the latest tool boosting INSIGHT’s capacity to provide access to eye data for research,” says Pearse, who is Professor of Artificial Medical Intelligence at the IoO, consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields, and director of INSIGHT. “Researchers applying for data through INSIGHT can also benefit from cloud-based software to support data analysis and training of artificial intelligence models.”
Find out more on our dedicated SRE web page.