EGA — European Genome-phenome Archive
Overview
The European Genome-phenome Archive (EGA) is the primary European controlled-access repository for human genomic and phenotypic data from biomedical research studies. Operated jointly by EMBL-EBI and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG, Barcelona), EGA stores data that cannot be publicly released due to patient privacy and consent restrictions, requiring researchers to apply for access through a Data Access Committee (DAC) established by the data submitter.
What EGA Stores
- Whole genome sequencing (WGS) covers germline and somatic variant data.
- Whole exome sequencing (WES) covers targeted coding variant data.
- SNP genotyping arrays store GWAS data.
- RNA-seq archives bulk and single-cell transcriptomics with phenotypic linkage.
- Epigenomics data covers methylation, ChIP-seq, and ATAC-seq.
- Phenotypic data includes clinical annotations, diagnoses, and biomarkers linked to genomic data.
- Multi-omics covers integrated datasets combining several data types.
Access Model
EGA uses a two-tier access model. For data submission, researchers deposit data and establish a DAC with defined access conditions (consent-based, IRB-linked). For data access, external researchers apply to the DAC and approved applicants receive secure download credentials. This model complies with GDPR and enables sharing of sensitive health data under controlled conditions.
Federated EGA (FEGA)
The Federated EGA initiative extends the EGA model to national nodes, allowing countries to host sensitive genomic data locally while maintaining discoverability in the central EGA catalogue.
Connections
Resources
- https://ega-archive.org
- https://ega-archive.org/federated (Federated EGA)
- https://www.ga4gh.org/product/data-use-ontology-duo/ (DUO for access conditions)