CalRepository: A database of indirect calorimetry experiments for the study of energy homeostasis

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Project Summary A data repository capturing the inputs leading to body weight regulation in disease states is a much-needed resource in the biomedical community. The sheer volume of data recording food intake, metabolic rate, and physical activity is overwhelming. Currently, there is no place for researchers to deposit or locate relevant data. This proposal seeks funding to create a comprehensive and user-friendly data repository that will enable researchers to deposit their data as well as easily find and re-use, reanalyze, and review energy metabolism data from scientists worldwide. The data repository will include any experiment involving indirect calorimetry in rodents. Data will be available from studies on the effects of altered behaviors (such as hunger, sleep patterns, and exercise) on body weight, and studies on the role of various disease states in body weight regulation. It will also include experiments interrogating pathological states including cardiopulmonary disorders, aging, and cancer cachexia, which lead to altered body weight and energy metabolism. By providing a centralized database for these studies, the repository will facilitate the development of new therapeutic interventions and help researchers to better understand the complex factors that influence weight gain and loss. This effort will serve as a template for a future clinical repository for indirect calorimetry or for additional model organisms. Modern indirect calorimetry systems allow for high-frequency multi-dimensional time-series measurements of the components affecting energy balance—food intake, physical activity, and metabolic rates. Our group is at the forefront of efforts to simplify and standardize these types of data using a free online tool, CalR. However, no data repository for these types of experiments currently exists. Until this situation is remedied, NIH-funded investigators are not able to comply with the 2023 NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy. We describe the creation of the CalRepository designed specifically to facilitate FAIR data principles. Large-scale analysis and re-use of these types of data will enable new insights into the complexities of body weight regulation. In summary, the creation of a data repository focused on body weight regulation is essential to effectively manage the rapidly growing volume of data on this topic and to facilitate the development of new insights leading to therapeutic interventions. We believe that this project has the potential to significantly advance our understanding of body weight regulation and improve the health and well-being of individuals around the world.