ImmPort: Shared research data for bioinformatics and immunology

Researchers are applying a wide variety of assay methods to explore the complex and dynamic human immunology system. There are a number of initiatives to encourage sharing of results, the standardization of terminology, and the reanalysis of data to improve reproducibility and ensure scientific rigor. The ImmPort project is an example of a NIH resource to collect, curate, and share immunological research. We describe the ImmPort project resources available to encourage an exploration of the tools and skill sets needed for analyzing shared immunological data, including clinical and mechanistic studies, analysis tools, and example analysis code. There is an ongoing effort to annotate the shared data with standardized terms from ontologies, make these curated data sets available in formats amenable to bioinformatic tools, and provide examples of how to access and analyze the data sets.