Using cloud infrastructure to facilitate data collection and conversion of HLA diagnostic data for the 18th International HLA and Immunogenetics Workshop.

The International HLA and Immunogenetics Workshop (IHIW) is a recurring gathering of researchers, technologists and clinicians where participants contribute to collaborative projects with a variety of goals, and come to consensus on definitions and standards for representing HLA and immunogenic determinants. The collaborative and international nature of these workshops, combined with the multifaceted goals of several specific workshop components, necessitates the collection and curation of a wide assortment of data, as well as an adaptable platform for export and analysis. With the aim of ensuring data quality and creation of reusable datasets, specific standards and nomenclature conventions are continuously being developed, and are an integral part of IHIW. Here we present the 18th IHIW Database, a purpose-built and extensible cloud-based file repository and web application for collecting and analyzing project-specific data. This platform is based on open-source software and uses established HLA data standards and web technologies to facilitate de-centralized data repository ownership, reduce duplicated efforts, and promote continuity for future IHIWs.