Developing new scientific questions and cutting-edge analytical tools, promoting better research collaboration, and propelling new discoveries in treatment and care, the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI’s) Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI) granted administrative supplements to fund eight new studies in December 2023.

The studies involve various aspects of targeted therapy, biomarkers, or artificial intelligence. NCI gave the funding to:

  • “Automated Classification of Pediatric Soft Tissue Sarcoma From Histopathology Images” (The Jackson Laboratory)
  • “Creating the Childhood Cancer Isoform Atlas: Informatics Tools and Multi-Omics Insights for Immunotherapy Targets” (Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania)
  • “Enhancing Pediatric Cancer Research With AI-Driven Diagnostics” (USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles)
  • “Enhancing Precision of Pediatric Cancer Molecular Targets by Aggregating CCDI Genomic Data to Pediatric Cancer Knowledgebase” (Comprehensive Cancer Center, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)
  • “Leveraging ExtractEHR and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources Framework for Enhancing Clinical Data Integration” (Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
  • “Machine Learning Framework for Accurate Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia Subtype Identification” (Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska)
  • “Real-World Molecularly Targeted Treatment Registry: A Pilot Study to Enrich CCDI Data Utilizing Directed Electronic Medical Record Extraction” (Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
  • “Unlocking the Potential of Extrachromosomal Circular DNA as Prognostic Markers in Childhood and Adolescents and Young Adult Cancers” (Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute)

Read a brief summary of each research project.

“These administrative supplements provide cancer centers with additional resources to collaborate, enabling them to aggregate, integrate, analyze, and visualize pediatric cancer data from diverse sources,” Subhashini Jagu, CCDI Ecosystem lead, said. “This process helps uncover potential avenues for therapeutic translation.”

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