A. Group for supporting researchers by providing biological resources from a cohort study

A-2. Cross-sectional studies using GWAS typing data from the J-MICC Study

[Application Guidelines]

The Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study (J-MICC Study) currently invites a wide range of research topics for cross-sectional studies using data for genome-wide association study (GWAS), under the research support framework provided by the Platform of Supporting Cohort Study and Biospecimen Analysis under MEXT's Grants-in-Aid program for Scientific Research. Supported studies must be conducted as collaborative studies with the research institution operating the J-MICC Study. The J-MICC Study is one of the large-scale molecular epidemiology cohort studies representatives of Japan and has enrolled approximately 100,000 participants from across the country.

Available Data

Our research program holds survey sheet data on participants' lifestyle practices, estimated nutrient intake data based on food intake frequency surveys of participants, and various health checkup data (body measurements, blood test values, etc.) on participants. In addition to these survey data, we have put in place a data set for GWAS that has been typed by RIKEN (National Research and Development Institute), among others. In that data set, approximately 0.5 million SNPs and approximately 6 million SNPs have been typed and imputed, respectively, per participants. The number of research subjects after quality control is approximately 43,000 (with the Human Omni Express Exome array and the Japonica array used on approximately 14,000 individuals and approximately 28,000 individuals, respectively [not including information on mitochondria DNA]). We can also extract particular SNPs from that data set for you to use. Researchers whose research topics are accepted for support through this application opportunity will be allowed to conduct studies utilizing survey data from the J-MICC Study, including genome information. For details of the available survey data items, please see the attached PDF document. This application opportunity is not open to research topics for cross-sectional studies that do not use genome data on participants or for cohort studies that use follow-up data. These research topics are being invited by other groups on this platform. For details, please read "Invitation for Research Topics for Cross-sectional studies using baseline data from the J-MICC Study" and "Invitation for Research Topics for Cohort studies using follow-up data from the J-MICC Study," before submitting your applications to other application opportunities.

Application Requirements

An eligible applicant for this application opportunity must be a researcher who has a topic supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (under MEXT) (KAKENHI). Co-investigators are eligible as well as principal investigators. Researchers who wish to apply but has no topic supported by KAKENHI are welcome to individually speak to the J-MICC Study Central Office.

Process from Application to Decision on Acceptance or Rejection

A researcher applying for support of a research topic is asked to prepare a concrete, concise summary (no longer than one A4 sheet) of the name of his/her research topic and the content of the intended analysis, and to apply using the application form on the website of the Platform of Supporting Cohort Study and Biospecimen Analysis. If the details of the application are not concrete enough or unclear, we may contact the applicant. All topics for which applications were submitted each month will be examined together in the following month (the Central Office will organize and review the details of applications and will submit them to the Steering Committee of the J-MICC Study for its decision on whether to approve or reject topics). In some cases, a proposed topic may have already been proposed and have been approved by the Steering Committee (overlapping research topics). In such case, the first approved research topic is given priority. However, the Central Office will, to the extent possible, adjust the content of the respective analyses intended for the topics. To protect the confidentiality of research projects, we cannot disclose a list of research topics already approved by the Steering Committee. However, potential applicants are welcome to speak to the Central Office in advance about their intended research topics. The content of all research topics (including preliminary consultations on them) for which applications were submitted will be kept confidential, regardless of whether the topics were accepted. We look forward to many applications from researchers.

Inquiry

Attn: Matsunaga, J-MICC Study Central Office
65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture 466-8550
Department of Preventive Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine
Telephone:052-744-2132
Email:matsunaga.takashi.x4[at]a.mail.nagoya-u.ac.jp
　　　　Please replace "[at]" with an "@" symbol.

[Research Guidelines]

Ethical Review, Papers, and Academic Conference Presentations, Analysis, etc. of Approved Research Topics

  1. The study on an approved research topic will be a collaborative study with the J-MICC Study.
  2. The researcher who proposed the topic must be subject to ethical review by the research institute with which he/she is affiliated.
  3. A researcher whose research topic has been accepted must analyze the necessary data within a research institute(s) participating in the J-MICC Study. Where necessary, researchers at the research organizations participating in the J-MICC Study will perform necessary analyses.
  4. The authors of a paper must consist of: no more than four individuals from the research institute that proposed the research topic (or no more than six individuals if the analysis was performed by two or more research groups between which the tasks for writing the paper were divided; this applies to cases where data was analyzed by individuals involved in collaborative cohorts of the J-MICC Study); one individual each from the research groups that provided data necessary for the analysis under the research topic; one individual from the Public Health Informatics Unit, Nagoya University (who must be included in the lead author's group if he/she performed part of the main analysis); two individuals from RIKEN; two individuals from the Division of Molecular Genetics, the Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute (only if typing data for GWAS created by the division was used); two individuals from the Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (only if Japonica array data was used); one researcher from the Central Office (to be recommended by the Central Office from the Department of Preventive Medicine, Nagoya University); the head of the Central Office; one principal investigator; and the group author of the J-MICC Study. If a researcher needs to increase the number of authors of his/her paper because the paper was written by incorporating data from other studies or basic experimental data, the researcher must consult with us separately. The primary author and corresponding author must be a researcher(s) from the research group that proposed the research topic and wrote the manuscript for the paper. The authorship of a paper should be proposed in accordance with the above rules by the research group that applied for support of the research topic and should be determined by consultation between the co-authors. Where necessary, the Central Office will coordinate the authorship.
  5. The content of a paper must be agreed upon by all co-authors. The paper must be submitted to a scientific journal after submission to and approval of the Steering Committee (which will be through email deliberation in most cases).
  6. The co-authors of an academic conference presentation may be decided at the discretion of the researcher whose research topic was accepted. However, the abstract of the subject to be presented at the conference must be circulated in advance among the members of the Steering Committee of the J-MICC Study. The abstract must be sent to the head of the Central Office for circulation at least one week prior to the deadline for submission to the conference, etc.
  7. A researcher whose research topic has been accepted must submit a paper within one year after the beginning of research support. If the researcher considers it difficult to write a paper based on the analysis results, the researcher must withdraw the research topic. The analysis data set may be used for a maximum period of three years after acceptance of the research topic. If an extension is necessary, a separate application must be submitted. Researchers are strictly prohibited from using research data for unintended purposes or secondary uses.
  8. The analysis data set may be recreated by the Central Office due to withdrawal of consent by research subjects, discovery of ineligibility, or other reasons. In such case, the analysis data set must be handled pursuant to the instructions of the Central Office. However, if the submission of a paper is underway or if data analysis has been completed, the researcher is not required to perform re-analysis using the recreated analysis data set unless one year has elapsed since analysis of the former data set.
  9. If a researcher finds any defects in the analysis data set, he/she must promptly report the details of the defects to the Central Office. The Platform of Supporting Cohort Study and Biospecimen Analysis and the J-MICC Study assume no more liability than co-authors of an academic conference presentation or a paper for any disadvantage that may be incurred by a researcher with an accepted research topic as a result of any defects in the analysis data set.
  10. A researcher whose research topic was accepted is not eligible to apply for support of another research topic through this application opportunity unless the researcher has submitted a paper on the research topic or has withdrawn the research topic.
  11. For the time being, applicants will not be charged for expenses incurred in this research support program.
  12. If a researcher breaches these research guidelines or if a collaborative study with a researcher is considered inappropriate by the Central Office, the collaborative study may be discontinued after submitting the matter to the Steering Committee.

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