Director's Note
As we close out the first decade of the 21st century, it is worth reflecting on how much has changed. When we started the caBIG® initiative about 6 years ago, there was absolutely no infrastructure to link the cancer research community. Virtually every lab and department in every cancer center and academic institution was an island unto itself, and we were trapped in a "Tower of Babel" world with no common vocabulary or standards for exchanging biological and clinical information. We were fighting a deadly disease enemy, armed with the information-sharing tools of the early 20th century.
Today, caBIG® technology and tools are not only linking the US cancer research community on caGrid, but also connecting our own scientists to those in the international community. We are helping to link all the capabilities and information within each institution….and among institutions. We are collaborating with ASCO to develop an oncology-extended Electronic Health Record that will enable digital capture and transfer of clinical information. We are building ecosystems that go across sector silos, and bridging what has been for decades a deep chasm between researchers and patients. Perhaps most importantly, we are witnessing a dramatic cultural shift in which the expectations of all stakeholders are that we will all be connected in a seamless IT-enabled continuum of discovery and development that leads to improved patient outcomes.
This issue of LINKS explores how caBIG® is providing a technological foundation for organizations to build upon as they evolve a new generation of research and care. Groups at Northwestern University, the Mayo Clinic, and University of Alabama at Birmingham are customizing caGrid and other caBIG® technology to meet institution-specific needs while achieving the crucial ability to collaborate and share data through a common infrastructure.
In our new video case study, 21st Century Imaging, experts from the commercial and academic sectors describe a new world of medical opportunity in imaging, as well as how caBIG® imaging standards and tools can accelerate meaningful discovery and improve patient outcomes.
Sincerely,
Ken Buetow
Director, NCI Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology
