Goal
Technologies are evolving rapidly and soon we will be able to explore research questions that were impossible to address in the past. To achieve this, access to a wide collection of materials will be paramount. Creating such a virtual repository of STH studies would be to allow researchers to identify and locate soil-transmitted helminth material of interest, hereby providing a first step in answering their research questions.
How it works
The VSSI or Virtual STH Sample Inventory is a tool that allows researchers to upload information with regards to STH related studies that were performed in the past and of which samples are available. By clicking on the " Add your studies to the VSSI" button, you will be directed to an entry form where you are asked for study specific information (e.g. types of samples collected, type of study, area of study, population, etc.). After submission and approval of the study, the study is included in the VSSI database. As more and more people submit their studies to the VSSI, the database expands. Please feel free to submit any study in which you have collected STH-related samples that are available for sharing.
If you are in need of any type of STH related material to perform a certain type of study, you can click the "Search the VSSI for samples" button. This will take you to a basic form where you select the type of samples you are interested in (e.g. stool, serum, ...). A list of studies that likely have collected samples that you are looking for is then sent your way. All that remains for you is to contact coordinator(s) of a certain study to see how you can set up a collaboration.
