A new institute at the University of Cambridge aims to revolutionize cancer care by using cutting edge analytics to maximize the use of big data sets collected from patients.
The Mark Foundation Institute for Integrated Cancer Medicine, announced today, will be funded by an $11.7 million award to the University of Cambridge from The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research - the first time that the New York-based philanthropy has made an award to a UK institution.
The virtual institute aims to exploit recent advances in big data processing and machine learning to capture and integrate clinical, genomic, and image data collated from hundreds of cancer patients in real time. Laboratory and clinic-based researchers and data experts will work together to determine whether sophisticated computational integration of these diverse data types into a single platform can inform and predict the best treatment decisions for each individual patient.
Blood tests, biopsies, medical imaging, and genetic tests are a routine part of current cancer care; however, it is not always clear which of these increasingly large datasets are most important in guiding treatment at specific points in the patient journey.
"Doctors have long dreamed of an objective system that can integrate all the results generated from their cancer patients, guiding comprehensive treatment decisions both for current treatment and to predict how a particular disease will behave in the future," explains Professor Richard Gilbertson, Director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre, where the new institute will be based.
"This is essentially an enormous mathematical problem that requires state-of-the art computational and machine learning approaches to solve. It is this problem that our new institute, funded by a visionary award from The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, will seek to address."
With the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches, the new institute will build and interrogate common data platforms and translate insights gained into principles for guiding timely clinical decision making.
"Integrated cancer medicine offers the promise of turning the tsunami of data generated in medical practice into an extraordinarily powerful but practical tool for patient benefit. This should enable us to deliver conventional and novel cancer treatments more effectively, and learn constantly from each patient through iterative analysis, as we refine and improve care for the future," adds Professor Gilbertson.
The researchers involved in these studies plan to use existing breast cancer clinical trials to test the concept of synthesizing different types of data to produce results that improve clinical decisions for patients during the course of their treatment. If successful, this approach will be extended to other disease types.
Dr. Michele Cleary, CEO of The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research said, "We are delighted to support this bold and innovative research at the University of Cambridge. The maximal use of patient data holds tremendous promise to offer better outcomes to patients and their families. Cambridge scientists are at the forefront of the field in this regard and are well positioned to accelerate optimal approaches for personalized cancer medicine."
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About The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research
The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research is dedicated to accelerating cures for cancer by integrating discoveries in biology with innovative technology. Launched in 2017, The Mark Foundation pursues its mission by funding a global portfolio of groundbreaking research carried out by individual investigators, multi-investigator teams, and inter-institutional collaborations. Recognizing the obstacles that can prevent scientific advances from improving patient outcomes, The Mark Foundation maintains a nimble, high-impact approach to funding research that encompasses grants for basic and translational cancer research, as well as venture philanthropy investment in companies that bridge the gap between the bench and the bedside. To learn more about the work of The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, visit: https://themarkfoundation.org/
About the University of Cambridge
The mission of the University of Cambridge is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. To date, 98 affiliates of the University have won the Nobel Prize.
Founded in 1209, the University comprises 31 autonomous Colleges, which admit undergraduates and provide small-group tuition, and 150 departments, faculties and institutions. Cambridge is a global university. Its 19,000 student body includes 3,700 international students from 120 countries. Cambridge researchers collaborate with colleagues worldwide, and the University has established larger-scale partnerships in Asia, Africa and America.
The University sits at the heart of the 'Cambridge cluster', which employs 60,000 people and has in excess of £12 billion in turnover generated annually by the 4,700 knowledge-intensive firms in and around the city. The city publishes 341 patents per 100,000 residents. http://www.cam.ac.uk