Houston-based University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has launched a huge data science project to advance oncology treatment, research and patient experience.
MD Anderson's Institute for Data Science in Oncology opened Nov. 9 with more than $61 million in philanthropic and institutional support toward a fundraising goal of $100 million. It plans to leverage the massive amounts of data collected at MD Anderson to meet a variety of goals, from personalizing care to improving scheduling.
"It's quite unique in that we see this transforming the entire organization to be able to use data science, not as an add-on institute that sits beside the healthcare organization," institute director David Jaffray, PhD, chief technology and digital officer at MD Anderson, told Becker's. "I'd be really challenged to find another organization that has made this such a priority."
The institute's five focus areas include using artificial intelligence to improve radiology and pathology; employing data science to unlock new therapeutics; applying computer modeling and digital twins to boost precision medicine; analyzing data to understand the personal, economic and societal effects of cancer; and leveraging automation to improve access and optimize the patient experience.
"There are lots of developments in the data science space and with machine learning and AI, but the big question the entire world is struggling with is: How do we really leverage this technology?" said Caroline Chung, MD, chief data officer at MD Anderson and the institute's director of data science development and implementation. "So the Institute for Data Science is bringing together the clinicians, the basic scientists, together with the data scientists to ... actually develop tools that are really impactful and can be translated back into the clinic."
The goal, Dr. Jaffray added, is to "not just publish a paper, but use the data from within the process of care delivery at MD Anderson and work with our teams to translate that back to redefine the future of cancer care."