Translational Research Infrastructure

Foundry120 is the research operating system for translational science.

It connects biospecimens, clinical data, omics, documents, and AI reasoning in one governed environment, so research teams can organise what exists, centralise what matters, and accelerate the next discovery.

Get in touch → See it in action ↓
helix · query MUSIC
› How many anti-TNF naive CD patients in MUSIC have baseline omnigut and matched RNA, with at least 6 months of follow-up?
Result
34
patients meet all criteria
2
matched sample types
10 mo
median follow-up
Linked Clinical records × Sample bank
anti-TNF naive CD omnigut + RNA ≥6 mo follow-up
The problem

Translational research runs on disconnected evidence.

Samples, clinical records, omics files, protocols, and analysis outputs are usually managed in separate systems. The hard part is no longer generating data. It is knowing what exists, what it links to, who can use it, and whether it is ready for the next research question.

Samples in freezers and spreadsheets
Biospecimen inventories are split across study databases, manual logs, and institutional memory, with no unified view of availability or usage state.
Clinical data siloed from samples
Phenotypic and longitudinal data lives in separate systems. Linking a sample to its clinical context requires manual exports, joins, and follow-up emails.
Omics outputs living on hard drives
Genomic files, assay results, and processed omics outputs are stored ad hoc across local drives, shared folders, and individual workstations. As data volumes scale, this stops working.
Feasibility takes days, not minutes
Answering whether the right samples exist, with the right clinical phenotype, can take a week of emails, exports, and manual reconciliation.
The platform

Three layers. One governed research environment.

Foundry120 brings together operational tracking, research data orchestration, and governed AI reasoning in a platform designed for multi-study, multi-site translational science.

01 · Organise
Sample and study tracking
Track samples, participants, locations, usage states, and audit events across studies and sites. Turn the physical research estate into a queryable operational layer.
02 · Centralise
Research data and documents
Link clinical datasets, omics outputs, documents, and study metadata without forcing every study into the same schema. Existing data keeps its structure; Foundry120 makes it interoperable.
03 · Accelerate
AI-assisted discovery
Use Helix to ask approved questions over governed data, generate analysis outputs, and retrieve provenance-backed answers without moving sensitive data outside the controlled environment.
See it in action

From research question to governed analysis output.

Helix turns plain-English questions into approved platform tool calls, returning charts, cohort summaries, and traceable answers from governed data.

helix · foundry120
Motion reduced · demo video paused
Helix · AI layer

Ask across governed research data.
Get answers with provenance.

Helix is Foundry120's intelligence layer. It reasons through approved platform tools, queries only permitted datasets, and returns compact, auditable outputs with clear provenance. The data stays inside the governed environment; the answer becomes reusable.

›In the MUSIC cohort at baseline, compare CRP between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Show me a chart.
Baseline CRP · MUSIC cohort

Crohn's disease · median 5.0 mg/L
Ulcerative colitis · median 2.1 mg/L

↳ chart rendered · data stayed in-platform · query logged
Who it's for

Built for translational research teams and the institutions that support them.

For translational researchers
  • Find feasible cohorts and matching samples in minutes
  • Link sample availability to clinical and omics context
  • Reuse prior study data without rebuilding joins from scratch
  • Move from inventory question to analysis-ready output
For institutions and research operations
  • Governed deployment with institutional data residency
  • Audit trails for sample actions, data access, and AI queries
  • Reusable infrastructure across studies, sites, and disease areas
  • A controlled framework for AI-assisted translational research
Built at the University of Glasgow

Built from real translational research workflows.

Foundry120 grew out of years of running multi-site IBD studies at Glasgow, where sample inventories, clinical data, and discovery outputs had to be reconciled by hand. It now extends toward rheumatology, oncology, and other disease areas, with the long-term goal of making prior specimens and data reusable across research programmes.

30,000+
biosamples tracked across active studies
6+
clinical studies and programmes
17+
sample types including biopsy, plasma, RNA, and stool
10+
discovery science projects supported
Dr Shaun Chuah
Dr Shaun Chuah
Clinical Senior Research Fellow
Honorary Consultant Gastroenterologist
School of Infection and Immunity
College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences
University of Glasgow
Get in touch

Building translational research infrastructure? Let's talk.

We are looking to work with research groups and institutions managing complex samples, linked clinical data, omics outputs, or governed AI workflows. If your team is trying to make research data more reusable, queryable, and secure, get in touch.

Reach out →
shaun.chuah@glasgow.ac.uk