Transforming Data Silos into a National Ecosystem for Brain Health and Innovation: China’s Brain Science Infrastructure

Brain science research in China is at an unprecedented moment of opportunity, but existing data silos represent a systemic obstacle that impedes research and limits both scientific innovation and clinical translation. We believe the path ahead must be towards creating a fully standardized national brain health ecosystem. The pillars of this ecosystem are the standardized acquisition of multimodal data, a governance pipeline to translate raw data into secure, shareable knowledge, and large prospective cohorts as important tools for translational research. These components can help ensure that data are no longer just accumulated, but knowledge is actually found, and can enable a strategic shift in brain disease care from reactive, treatment-focused care to proactive, prevention-focused brain health.