Oracle joins White House CancerX initiative to wage war on cancer
The public-private partnership was formed to drive innovations that can help reduce deaths due to cancer.
The company will contribute expertise to the project using its background in open cloud platforms, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, clinical research, healthcare research, care delivery, and its scientific expertise from the recent acquisition of Cerner.
At the time of the acquisition, approximately one year ago, executive vice president, Mike Sicilia said: “Prioritizing outcomes in healthcare is long overdue and now within reach following Oracle’s acquisition of Cerner.”
He said in order to achieve more seamless, coordinated care, ‘technology must play a greater role in reframing solutions for health and well-being around the world’.
Highly fragmented healthcare market
Seema Verma, senior vice president and general manager, at Oracle Life Sciences, said: “The healthcare market continues to be highly fragmented which hinders both patient care and the quest for a cure.
“We are proud to bring our expertise in healthcare, clinical research, and enterprise cloud technology to deliver more innovative and effective treatments to those fighting cancer.”
CancerX is the inaugural project in The White House’s national Cancer Moonshot initiative. The project is co-hosted by Moffitt Cancer Center and the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe), alongside the Office for the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.
“Multi-stakeholder collaboration is critical to harness the potential of digital innovation in the fight against cancer, and we're honored to partner with Oracle to achieve the ambitious goals of CancerX,” said Smit Patel, associate program director, Digital Medicine Society.
“Through this impressive collaboration, we will establish best practices, build capacity, and demonstrate the impact of innovation on the life of every person on a cancer journey.”
Value of digital innovation in cancer treatment
Oracle says that along with the group’s developers it will specifically define the value of digital innovation in cancer treatment, address methodological and implementation gaps, and develop best practices for the equitable adoption of digital health technologies at scale in oncology.
The company said its aim is to achieve the White House’s Cancer Moonshot goal of reducing the death rate from cancer by at least 50% over the next 25 years and improving the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer.
Santosh Mohan, vice president, digital, Moffitt Cancer Center, added: “Beating cancer demands bold innovation and deliberate collaboration,” said. “CancerX is creating a dynamic ecosystem where ideas can flourish, expertise and resources can be shared, and innovative solutions can be rapidly developed and equitably deployed in the fight against cancer.
“As a co-host, we take immense pride in the diverse and inclusive community of pioneers coming together as members, all driven by a shared commitment to advancing the goals of the Cancer Moonshot. Together, we will advance the frontiers of cancer research and treatment through digital innovation, while striving to reduce the incidence and burden of cancer for all people.”
