Imagine if every time a chef made a pizza, they had to relearn how to craft the crust, create the sauce, and then research the order to assemble it together. The pizzas might still taste good, but there would be a lot fewer of them. To increase future production, it is valuable to share the knowledge of the present to save repeating the same work and accelerate new discoveries. Dr. Gerald Wyckoff, Project Director of the 1Data Initiative, and Professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) and Kansas State University (K-State), is leading the development of the 1Data platform to share human and animal health research data with the intent to expedite the development of treatments.
The 1Data project is an ideal and rare concept. The project brings companies, researchers, and government organizations together to share from the vast research pool previously done in order to accelerate treatments and discoveries. Something worth doing doesn’t always come easy but thanks to people like Wyckoff it is happening and already making an impact.
The idea was ignited 4 years ago when Wyckoff met with then K-State researcher, Dr. Jim Riviere, now retired. The two immediately clicked as they commiserated over the difficulties of sharing and gathering data in their respective fields and, as many serendipitous ideas start, they asked a simple question: why wasn’t there an easier way? “We realized if we were having these problems, then a lot of people are having these same difficulties,” Wyckoff said.
To fulfill the mission of the project, the two brought on a third co-founder, Dr. Majid Jaberi-Douraki, Assistant Professor at K-State. “The three of us have a nice synergy and we balance each other,” he said. Wyckoff also gives major kudos to Dr. Wayne Carter, former President & CEO of BioNexus KC and Dr. Ralph Richardson, retired President and CEO of K-State Olathe for their vision of the project. “Without them, this project wouldn’t have gone as far as it did,” he said.
As the group dug deeper into the structure of the database, they uncovered other issues like how to protect the unrealized value of data for publicly traded company’s research. This is where the legal teams from K-State and UMKC worked in conjunction with BioNexus KC, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other regional companies to form an agreement to protect the value of the research while still making it available. This project has exemplified the collaborative nature of the region and the shared strength of the Animal Health Corridor. In addition to K-State and UMKC, the project is also supported by the University of Missouri system and regionally by the Civic Council of Greater KC, Aratana Therapeutics, Elanco Animal Health, iShare Medical, and the USDA. “The nice thing is that I have great collaborators that I can say, ‘wouldn’t it be fun to try that,’ and they do it! I get to sit back and watch it work out,” he says.
Wyckoff grew up in Commack, New York, and says he was always interested in science, although biology wasn’t always the dream. “My goal was to be the first person to land on Mars,” he said. “I thought it would be easy. I’ll go, become a Navy Pilot, get attached to NASA, test really cool planes and then they would say, ‘you should pilot this plane that’s going to Mars.’” He found out after receiving an ROTC scholarship that his eyesight wasn’t good enough for the Navy or a flight to Mars.
Wyckoff stayed in New York and received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Cornell University. “I am a first-generation college student, so it was a privilege for me to get that opportunity,” he said. He went on to complete his PhD in molecular evolutionary genetics and did his post-doctoral work in the human genetics department at the University of Chicago. He says he appreciated and valued his education. “I am grateful, but I realized that if you can’t take that knowledge and make it accessible for everyone, then it doesn’t mean a whole lot,” he said. “I came to UMKC and K-State because of the region’s mission to provide an educational experience and that resonated with me.” As a professor, he creates an experience for his students, from the moment they receive the syllabus until they get their final grade. His goal is that each student finds something that will resonate with them far beyond the classroom.
Wyckoff has been married for 21 years and has a sixteen-year-old son who helps to keep him relatable to his students. He is a foodie and likes to travel. He can tell you where to get the best pizza in town and where you can get a bagel that is close to what you would get off Exit 52 on the Long Island Expressway. “This is how you know someone is from Long Island, they don’t tell you where they’re from, they tell you what exit they are,” he muses.
Like making pizza, science is best upon the discovery of something great, not in the repeating of basic steps. Thanks to Dr. Wyckoff and team, the 1Data initiative is already having an impact. “In 10 years, I want this to be the de facto standard for data that can advance research at the nexus of animal and human health,” he said. This project has the potential to be a foundation for progress in the industry.