Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of these terms

By creating an account or using PRISM, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these terms and by the Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the platform. These terms restate and expand the consent you sign electronically before your first use.

2. Invite-only access

PRISM is not open to the public. Access is by invitation only and is granted at the discretion of a lab administrator. Requesting an account does not guarantee access — each request is reviewed, and an administrator confirms your role and permissions before your account is activated. You may use PRISM only through the account issued to you, and only for the Akshintala Lab’s internal research and operations. Access may be limited, changed, suspended, or revoked at any time.

3. Proprietary software and intellectual property

PRISM is proprietary software owned by Richu Ravikumar. The application, its source code, design, structure, content, and underlying methods are confidential and protected. Your account grants a limited, revocable, non-transferable right to use PRISM for the Akshintala Lab’s internal purposes only; no other rights are granted.

• You may not copy, duplicate, distribute, sublicense, sell, or otherwise make the platform or any part of it available to others.
• You may not modify, adapt, translate, reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to derive the source code, or create derivative works.
• You may not reproduce the platform’s design, content, or functionality without the owner’s express written permission.

4. Acceptable use

You agree to use PRISM lawfully and in accordance with the policies of Johns Hopkins University and the Akshintala Lab. In particular, you will not:

• Share your credentials or let anyone else use your account, or access data you are not authorized to see.
• Attempt to bypass authentication, permissions, row-level security, or any other safeguard.
• Upload malicious code, disrupt or overburden the platform, or use it for any unlawful purpose or in violation of Johns Hopkins policy.
• Extract, scrape, or bulk-export data other than through the features provided for your role.
• Enter identifiable patient data (PHI) into PRISM. PRISM is an operational tool, not a clinical record; the Privacy Policy explains what data belongs here and what must stay in REDCap.

5. Your responsibility for data

You are responsible for the accuracy and appropriateness of the data you enter and for keeping your account credentials confidential. How the data you enter is used, stored, and protected is described in the Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these terms by reference.

6. Provided “as is”

PRISM is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, availability, or non-infringement. You use the platform at your own risk. The platform may change, be interrupted, or be discontinued at any time without notice.

7. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Richu Ravikumar, Johns Hopkins University, nor any individuals involved in developing or operating this platform shall be liable for any data breaches, data loss, corruption of devices or data, unauthorized access, downtime, or any other direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from or related to your use of the platform. You use PRISM at your own risk.

8. Electronic acceptance and signature

Before your first use, PRISM requires you to accept these terms by entering your full legal name and typing it to sign. That action is an electronic signature: by signing, you affirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these terms. This electronic signature is intended to be the legally binding equivalent of a handwritten signature. If these terms change materially, you may be asked to review and sign the updated version. What is recorded when you sign is described in the Privacy Policy.

9. Confidentiality

The platform and the non-public information within it are confidential to Richu Ravikumar and the Akshintala Lab. You agree to treat what you access through PRISM as confidential and not to disclose it outside the lab except as authorized or required for the lab’s work.

10. Termination

Your access may be suspended or terminated at any time, with or without notice, including when your role with the lab ends, when these terms are violated, or at an administrator’s discretion. The sections on proprietary rights, confidentiality, warranty disclaimers, and limitation of liability survive termination.

11. Governing law

These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles, and subject to the policies of Johns Hopkins University.

12. Changes to these terms

These terms may be updated as the platform evolves. When they change, the effective date above will change, and material changes may require you to review and re-sign. Continued use of PRISM after an update means you accept the revised terms.

13. Contact

Questions about these terms should go to the Akshintala Lab administrator at Johns Hopkins. For questions about your data, see the Privacy Policy.