Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of Nature Genetics, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-025-02101-9 Dr. Teresa D’Altri et al.
Points
- The Federated European Genome–Phenome Archive (FEGA), launched in 2022, enables secure, decentralized genomic data sharing across national nodes while ensuring compliance with local legal and ethical standards.
- As of 2024, FEGA includes seven national nodes across Europe and Canada, fostering global collaboration in genomic research and addressing health challenges like pandemics and rare diseases.
- Developed through ELIXIR-EXCELERATE and ELIXIR-CONVERGE, FEGA overcomes the limitations of centralized databases by enhancing secure cross-border research and access to multi-national datasets.
- FEGA aims to improve metadata standards, support multi-omics data integration, and advance federated analytics to enable secure multi-node research without compromising data privacy.
- FEGA plans to increase data submissions, provide training resources, and establish local help desks, reinforcing its role in personalized medicine and disease diagnosis worldwide.
Summary
The Federated European Genome–Phenome Archive (FEGA) is revolutionizing how human genomic data is shared and accessed globally. Launched in 2022, FEGA builds on the European Genome–Phenome Archive (EGA) by employing a federated model, storing data in national nodes while ensuring adherence to local legal and ethical standards. As of 2024, FEGA consists of seven national nodes, including collaborations in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Poland, and Canada. The federated model enables secure, decentralized data sharing across countries, ensuring compliance with diverse regulations while enhancing global collaboration for genomic research. Since its inception, FEGA has expanded rapidly, with nearly 40 datasets submitted, including contributions from the Swedish Childhood Tumor Biobank and the University of Vilnius, among others.
The primary advantage of FEGA’s federated model is its ability to overcome the limitations of centralized systems by allowing for secure and collaborative data sharing across borders. The model was developed through international projects such as ELIXIR-EXCELERATE and ELIXIR-CONVERGE, which helped establish the foundational infrastructure. This decentralized approach has made it possible for FEGA to become the most comprehensive resource for genomic and health data, providing key support for global health challenges like pandemics and rare diseases. With the addition of a Canadian node in December 2024, FEGA extends its reach globally, enhancing access for international researchers and fostering innovation in personalized medicine.
FEGA plans to refine its metadata standards to improve data discoverability and interoperability, facilitating the integration of multi-omics data and clinical health records. These advancements will strengthen the network’s role in advancing disease diagnosis and personalized treatment. Additionally, FEGA aims to support more data submissions by providing training materials and establishing local help desks. The ongoing development of federated analytics will enable multi-node analyses, empowering researchers to work with sensitive data without compromising security. FEGA’s continued expansion promises to play a pivotal role in the future of global health research and personalized medicine.
Link to the article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02101-9
References D’Altri, T., Freeberg, M. A., Curwin, A. J., Alonso, A., Freitas, A. T., Capella-Gutierrez, S., Gadelha, L., Hagwall, A., Hovig, E., Kerry, G., Kirli, K., Kochel, K., Kohlbacher, O., Korbel, J. O., Leinonen, J., Marciniak, B., Oliveira, J. S., Petersen, K., Silva, M. J., … Keane, T. M. (2025). The Federated European Genome–Phenome Archive as a global network for sharing human genomics data. Nature Genetics, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-025-02101-9
