NF Research Tools Database: An experimental resource database for the neurofibromatosis community 1 Sage Bionetworks , Seattle, WA, USA 2 Gilbert Family Foundation, Detroit, MI, USA Correspondence: nf-osi@sagebionetworks.org Brynn Zalmanek, MLIS1, Robert Allaway, PhD1, James Goss, PhD2, Ashley Clayton, MS1, James Eddy, PhD1, Kaitlin Throgmorton, MLIS1, Jineta Banerjee, PhD1, Kalyan Vinnakota, PhD2, Caroline Morin, BS2, YooRi Kim, MS2, Justin Guinney, PhD1 Approach Highlights ●We are developing a centralized resource database for NF1 research tools, including animal models, cell lines, antibodies, genetic reagents, and biobanks. ●The research community will be able to contribute feedback, usage notes, and other observations about these tools to the database. ●We are recruiting testers to participate in an upcoming evaluative design study to ensure that this resource is useful for the research community. Background & Introduction ●When the Gilbert Family Foundation (GFF) started to fund investigators with little or no prior experience in NF1 research, it became evident that research progress was impacted by the challenge of identifying, evaluating, obtaining, and/or creating the tools required for their research. ●While a variety of databases exist for investigators to find useful research tools these databases are usually: ○Specific to the type of resource, ○Too broad in scope, and/or ○Do not include newly developed or unpublished models ●To accelerate NF research, we are building the NF Research Tools Database, a database and companion web application to store and explore information about model resources specifically relevant to the NF community. ●The database will include key attributes for each resource and contributed observational data from publications and the research community. ●The database development consists of three phases (Figure 1): ○Design (current phase): Generation of a prototype database website. ○Pilot: Visitors can search and explore the contents of the database through the website. ○Long-term Development: Members of the NF community will be able to submit resource attributes or observations through a user friendly submission process. Acknowledgements The project team would like to thank Ljubomir Bradic, Stockard Simon, Bruce Hoff, Jay Hodgson, Kevin Boske, and Ryan Luce for helpful discussions regarding the design and development of this application. Icons made by Eucalyp from www.flaticon.com. This work is supported by the Gilbert Family Foundation. Conclusions & Future Directions ●GFF and Sage Bionetworks have made significant progress in developing a prototype tools database and companion web application for NF1 research resources. This resource could be a one-stop-shop for learning about the various experimental tools that have been generated by the NF1 research community ●After the prototype phase, we plan to expand the scope of this database to include NF2 and schwannomatosis-related resources ●We encourage feedback from the research community, particularly: ○What NF1-relevant animal models, cell lines, antibodies, genetic reagents, and biobanks you would like to see listed in the database. ○What types of research resource attributes you consider when, for example, selecting a cell line for an experiment. ○Whether you would be likely to contribute observational information about a research resource to a database like this. ●We are recruiting testers to participate in an upcoming evaluative design study. Please contact nf-osi@sagebionetworks.org if you are interested in participating in this study (Q4 2021) or contributing information about an NF1 research resource! Evaluating External Data Sources & Prior Work Designing a Data Model Identifying Use-Cases Prototype Design & Evaluation ●GFF developed an alpha version of the database, incorporating tools utilized within GFF research programs and soliciting feedback from their awardees on how to best classify and characterize each tool. ●Sage then condu