An electronic health records data system won the Free to Breath and The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation's Clinical Trial Innovation Prize, which is an initiative to increase clinical trial participation globally, according to an Xconomy article.
Here are six points:
1. Start-up Helnyx's "Match Point: Matching Patients and Trials Via EHR" won $20,000 for innovative thinking.
2. The idea is that a system would use machine-learning techniques to automatically sift through electronic health records to pinpoint eligible patients for clinical trials.
3. The people of Helnyx have Harvard, Caltech and UCLA backgrounds.
4. Thirteen City of Hope community centers in California will test the program.
5. Free to Breath is a Madison-based lung cancer organization and The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is based in San Carlos, Calif.
6. The two organizations are holding the contest to increase participation rates in clinical trials. One-quarter of cancer clinical trials fall flat due to lack of volunteers.
