The TRITON Project: Design and Implementation of an Integrative Translational Research Information Management Platform

Multi-site consortia have become the preferred setting for team-based translational research programs. Such consortia are able to facilitate increased breadth and depth of basic science and clinical research activities, but also present numerous challenges related to data collection, analysis, storage, and exchange. The Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Research Consortium (CRC), a s a prototypical instance of such a consortia, uses numerous loosely coupled web applications to address its informatics needs. Over a decade of operations have allowed the CRC to identify usability and computational limitations relative to the preceding information management architecture. In response, the CRC has launched the TRITON project, with the ultimate objective of developing an open-source, extensible, and fully integrative translational research information management platform. In this manuscript, we describe the architecture, design processes, and initial implementation of thatplatform.