Director's Note
I'm pondering the evolution strikingly apparent at two conferences (Bio-IT World conference in Boston and SAGE in California) last month. At both events, there was a remarkable mix of disciplines in attendance, not only from the life sciences but across the health care spectrum to patient advocates and clinical care providers. Perhaps for the first time in recent years, it became apparent that the long-overdue linkage across that continuum is forming (shifting of tectonic plates?) in spite of our different jargons and cultures, and that it will be patients who are the first beneficiaries in terms of improved care and better clinical outcomes.
I also observed another dramatic phenomenon, relating specifically to caBIG®. Our staff reported that at this year's caBIG® booth and workshops at Bio-IT World, visitors' and attendees' questions were no longer about "what" caBIG® is, but about "how to get started with caBIG®". And NCI speakers were not alone anymore in describing the caBIG® infrastructure that is enabling data liquidity—we were joined at the podium and in posters by academic and commercial peers who are using caBIG® across their enterprises and in their products and services.
We haven't reached our ultimate goals as yet, of course, but it is gratifying for all of us to see the lights of 21st century medicine emerging by which we can illuminate the causes of disease and more swiftly discover improved treatments.
Ken Buetow, Ph.D.
