Presentation · SCAND-LAS 2026
Metadata as a NAM — From Data Context to Virtual Control Groups
Invited talk for the Scandinavian Society for Laboratory Animal Science (SCAND-LAS) arguing that FAIR metadata should be treated as a New Approach Methodology in its own right — the substrate that turns isolated preclinical data into reusable evidence and credible virtual control groups.
About this talk
The deck reframes metadata not as administrative bookkeeping but as scientific infrastructure — a New Approach Methodology (NAM) on its own merits. It walks from the recurring "data without context" problem in preclinical research, through FAIR principles and home-cage monitoring as a richer source of phenotyping metadata, to virtual control groups as a concrete 3Rs lever that only works when metadata is harmonised across studies.
Key references
- Wilkinson et al., 2016 — The FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship. Scientific Data.
- Gaburro & Mandillo (eds.), 2026 — Home Cage Monitoring in Rodents: A Global Effort. Springer Nature.
- Karp et al., 2017 — Prevalence of sexual dimorphism in mammalian phenotypic traits.
Cite this presentation
Huzard, D. (2026). Metadata as a NAM — From Data Context to Virtual Control Groups. Invited talk, SCAND-LAS 2026. neuronautix.com/presentations/2026-06-metadata-as-nam-scand-las/
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