The development of a new patient centric system that will match people to relevant clinical trials in a personalised way is underway at RCSI, University of Medicine and Health Sciences. The new and transformative study hopes to leverage the power of big data and disruptive technologies.
At present, one of the biggest challenges facing clinical trials is the recruitment of enough participants. This can result in huge delays and costs for the trial. At the same time, patients don’t know where to find or access a trial a suitable for them.
BESTS: Blockchain and AI-enabled Stratified Trial System, is a research and development programme powered by Akkure, ERGO, Microsoft and RCSI and supported through the Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund (DTIF). Together, the consortium is developing a highly secure, trustworthy, patient-centric platform for individuals to be matched to, and make their data available for use in clinical trials or other research studies.
Professor Gianpiero Cavalleri, Deputy Director of FutureNeuro and BESTS coordinating lead says “In an era of increasing privacy concerns, I’m really excited by the potential of this DTIF platform to empower the individual in controlling their health data and engaging more actively in clinical research and trials.”
Chair of BESTS Board Richard Corbridge, added that this initiative ‘allows a trial to put the patient at the centre of the research and offer a new level of insight to be driven from not just the data the patient offers but their own insight into the process.”
BESTS will be built with 4 key elements in mind: Patient Driven – GDPR Compliant – Blockchain Technology – Artificial Intelligence.
Patient Driven: This open and transparent system will be driven by the patient. Patient participants will say yes as to what health data they would like shared and how it is used. This can include clinical data such as details about a health condition or genomic data such as information about a gene that is influencing a condition or disease.
GDPR Compliant: Privacy by design and GDPR compliance will ensure a trustworthy system that protects the interests of participants.
Blockchain technology: This will protect confidentiality, control access and ensure personal information is securely shared.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): An AI algorithm will interpret the data and match participants to trials and other research studies, based on the personal data provided
RCSI researchers are now engaging patients, healthcare providers, industry and clinical research organisations to understand what is necessary to make BESTS an effective solution in a real world setting. Want to find out more? Visit here.
