Dubovitskaya, AlevtinaUrovi, VisaraBarba, ImanolAberer, KarlSchumacher, Michael Ignaz2016-11-162016-11-162016-11-16201610.1155/2016/9027457https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/131122WOS:000388884400001The collection of medical data for research purposes is a challenging and long-lasting process. In an effort to accelerate and facilitate this process we propose a new framework for dynamic aggregation of medical data from distributed sources. We use agent-based coordination between medical and research institutions. Our system employs principles of peer-to-peer network organization and coordination models to search over already constructed distributed databases and to identify the potential contributors when a new database has to be built. Our framework takes into account both the requirements of a research study and current data availability. This leads to better definition of database characteristics such as schema, content, and privacy parameters. We show that this approach enables a more efficient way to collect data for medical research.text::journal::journal article::research article