MetaServe: a lightweight, metadata-aware governance and delivery layer for pre-publication research omics data.

Yizhuo Shen; Jianpeng Sheng; Pengcheng Yan

doi:10.1186/s12859-026-06522-z

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MetaServe: a lightweight, metadata-aware governance and delivery layer for pre-publication research omics data.

Yizhuo Shen·Jianpeng Sheng·Pengcheng Yan

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Institutional research teams and core facilities routinely manage pre-publication omics datasets that span heterogeneous file types, nested project structures, and multiple downstream uses. Public repositories mainly support post-publication dissemination, while workflow systems and enterprise data platforms do not directly provide a lightweight governance and delivery layer for internal research assets. RESULTS: We present MetaServe, an open-source governance and delivery layer for pre-publication research assets in institutional multi-omics settings. MetaServe registers and delivers heterogeneous assets, including sequencing files, processed matrices, imaging data, analysis-ready objects, tabular files, and documents, without requiring repository-grade standardization. Its metadata-aware design combines file-type recognition, partial automatic extraction for selected formats, manually supplied project and biological annotations, and indexed faceted retrieval. MetaServe supports authenticated web download, viewer-oriented handoff for compatible services such as cellxgene, and path-manifest export for downstream workflows under shared-storage assumptions. The current implementation combines role-based controls, explicit file-level sharing, path-constrained delivery, and operational traceability to support controlled institutional access. MetaServe has been deployed at the Chinese Institutes for Medical Research (CIMR) as part of an institutional multi-omics data-management system. CONCLUSIONS: MetaServe provides a practical layer between institutional storage and downstream analytical platforms for pre-publication research data. Its contribution is the integration of lightweight metadata-aware registration, permission-aware retrieval, and controlled delivery for heterogeneous institutional omics assets. Rather than replacing workflow engines, public repositories, or enterprise-scale research data platforms, MetaServe offers a deployable governance layer for core facilities and collaborative teams that need structured discovery and traceable delivery before public deposition or manuscript release.

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Metadata Multiomics Software Information Storage and Retrieval Computational Biology Database Management Systems Information Dissemination Data delivery Metadata governance Multi-omics Pre-publication data Research data management Journal Article

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Yizhuo Shen, Jianpeng Sheng, Pengcheng Yan. 2026-06-20. MetaServe: a lightweight, metadata-aware governance and delivery layer for pre-publication research omics data.. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12859-026-06522-z

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