The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has secured a $10 million federal grant to advance its research into pediatric cancers and rare diseases. The grant, awarded to CHOP's Center for Data Driven Discovery in Biomedicine (D3B) by The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), will support the development of RADIANT (Real-time Analysis and Discovery in Integrated And Networked Technologies), an innovative platform designed to provide real-time analysis of comprehensive patient data.
RADIANT: A Real-Time Data Integration Platform
RADIANT is designed to integrate data from various sources, including electronic health records, genomic information, and medical imaging, in real time. This comprehensive approach aims to equip doctors with the necessary information to make well-informed decisions regarding treatment options and clinical trial opportunities, particularly for rare diseases where clinical experience may be limited.
According to Phillip Storm, Chief of the Division of Neurosurgery and co-director of the Neuroscience Center at CHOP and co-executive director of D3B, "D3B has been able to consistently accelerate discoveries in pediatric cancer, thanks to our focus on big data and the collaborative researchers around the world who utilize our platforms. This award takes the advancements we’ve made in the field of pediatric brain tumors and expands them in exciting new directions."
Reducing the Reliance on Placebo-Controlled Trials
One of the key objectives of D3B through RADIANT is to address the challenges associated with placebo-controlled trials in pediatric clinical studies. By comparing data from clinical trials with existing data within the RADIANT database, the platform has the potential to minimize or even eliminate the need for large patient cohorts and placebo-controlled groups.
Standardizing Data Workflows for Enhanced Patient Care
Sabine Mueller, CTBN Co-Executive Chair, emphasized the importance of standardizing data workflows across institutions to create a unified, real-time view of patients. "It’s only through advancing new models of care empowered by these technologies that as clinicians we’ll be able to enhance options for our patients and their participation in clinical trials," said Mueller.
With the implementation of RADIANT, CHOP aims to transform the landscape of rare disease research and treatment, offering new hope for patients and their families.
