MIRAGE
Minimum Information Required for A Glycomics Experiment

MIRAGE stands for “Minimum Information Required for A Glycomics Experiment”. Since 2011, the MIRAGE Commission is supported and – together with scientists from the University of Georgia – coordinated by the Beilstein-Institut. Regularly, the MIRAGE Commission reports the progress of its work at the Beilstein Glyco-Bioinformatics Symposia and in scientific journals.

 

Aims

Development of reporting guidelines

The primary aim of the MIRAGE project is to improve the quality of glycomics data in the scientific literature. Researchers seeking to understand the biochemical structure–function relationships of carbohydrates require detailed descriptions of the assay conditions and the experimental results. Currently, these data are insufficiently reported in the literature. The MIRAGE project focuses on the development of publication guidelines for the data presentation for glycomics research.

MIRAGE as a communication hub

Some members of the MIRAGE Commission are responsible for infrastructure projects, including the development of repositories, databases and software tools. Other members explore the structural identity and complexity of glycoconjugates and their role in biological systems. This means that the lines of communication between data generators and data consumers in the Commission are short, making MIRAGE a hub for information exchange and coordination of external projects which is reflected by the landscape of spin-offs from the MIRAGE project (see figure below). This platform idea is aimed to be strengthened.

Landscape of MIRAGE spin-offs