Secret recipe of success- Collaborative Research
Human genome project; an exemplary project in terms of collaboration and its achievements. This was one of the biggest collaborative projects initiated in the 90s to map and understand all human genes. After 13 years, on 21st October 2004, findings of the whole genome sequencing were published in the journal Nature. It had a long 14-page list of contributing authors spread across the whole world (1, 2). Today we clearly see how rewarding the mission has been and we are still reaping the fruits of the success.
More than 20 years later, as the pandemic hit the whole world, it has shown us again what collaborations can accomplish. The thing that helped us to fight back was being united. Scientists across the globe collaborated on various aspect of the COVID-19 research. Be it getting the patient data, patient samples, or drug trials. In addition, technological innovations went hand in hand as people from various corners connected.
The latest article on COVID-19 infection in children and adolescents (3) published in New England Journal has more than 45 authors affiliated to different institution across 10 states in the US. On the other hand, scientists at HHMI (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) came together to use a free computer game called Foldit to solve protein puzzles digitally worldwide. They challenged players to design proteins that can bind the new coronavirus and block its entry into cells, which can be later used for drug development (4). And not just this, they launched an app called How We Feel to check on the COVID-19 related symptoms of people who are using it (5). No personal information is gathered except the area code. This clearly shows that just like the virus, science has no boundaries to stop it from advancing.
In these fast-paced times, it would be very difficult to continue research without a proper collaboration. It is extremely real and okay to accept that one person or a lab cannot be the expert of different fields. A computational biologist may be able to judge the accuracy of a data analysis pipeline better than a structural biologist. And not just academic skills, collaborative projects help to internally review the data generated, from an unbiased perspective. Additionally, top-notch journal wants conclusion of the manuscript validated through different techniques which can be achieved through collaboration. It would surely save a lot of time and speeding up the process towards a successful publication. As Benjamin Franklin said, “time is money”, so save time and money by choosing your best partner in the game.
1. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature03001#MOESM1
2. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/291/5507/1304.full.pdf
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32598831/
5. https://www.hhmi.org/news/tracking-the-covid-19-pandemic-with-an-app
