The PIONEER consortium will serve as a European Network of Excellence for Big Data in Prostate Cancer. It is funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 (IMI2) as part of the Big Data for Better Outcomes (BD4BO) which was launched with the objective of harnessing the opportunities of big data to promote patient-centered outcomes. This project will run from January 2018 to January 2023.
Objectives
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer in men, accounting for 9% of all cancer deaths among men in Europe. The socio-economic burden associated with PCa is predicted to dramatically increase in the coming years due to aging. PCa affects at least as many people and is as deadly as breast cancer; however, up to now it has received comparatively minimal research funding, and progress made in this field is limited (when compared to other major cancer types). Currently, there are a number of critical questions that remain unresolved regarding the screening, diagnosis and treatment of PCa patients.
By applying advanced data analytics and developing a data-driven platform of unparalleled scale, quality and diversity, PIONEER will empower meaningful improvement in clinical practice, PCa disease-related outcomes, and health-economic outcomes across the European healthcare landscape. PIONEER will assemble, standardise, harmonise and analyse high-quality big data from diverse populations of PCa patients across different stages of the disease to provide evidence-based data for improving decision-making by key stakeholders.
ECPC’s Role
ECPC is collaborating with the European Association of Urology (EAU), Cancer Intelligence, Bayer and Sanofi for the dissemination and communication of the project’s aims, objectives and results. These activities are part of Work Package 7 ‘Dissemination and communication’ and will run in parallel with all of the other work packages and for the entire lifecycle of this project.
Furthermore, PIONEER will leverage strong existing patient networks of consortium partners such as the EAU and ECPC, and our other patient organisation collaborators (Europa Uomo and UCAN) to ensure that the projects outcomes are effectively communicated to patients in language they can understand thus ensuring patients and their families have equitable access to the best care for them. The participation of ECPC will further ensure the patients engage in their disease management, thus leading to better treatment adherence and improved Quality of Life (QoL).
Moreover, ECPC will ensure that the visual identity of PIONEER is aligned with the branding of the DO-IT communication and support action for all BD4BO projects, in order to ensure that PIONEER is easily recognised as one of a number of BD4BO projects supported by the IMI.
PIONEER Survey
This survey will try to pinpoint, which questions are the most important for patients, as well as for healthcare professionals. Please click here to read concerning this survey.
Public Private Partnership
London School of Economics and Political Science and Novartis lead the “Big Data for Better Outcomes, Policy Innovation, and Healthcare Systems Transformation” (BD4BO-DO>IT) under the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking. IMI is a partnership between the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme and the European pharmaceutical industry (represented by EFPIA, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations).
Contact Points
ECPC: Klevisa Ceka, Health and Research Programmes
Project Coordinator: Prof. James N’Dow, University of Aberdeen
Funding
PIONEER is funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 (IMI2): a part of the EU Horizon 2020 Programme, Grant Agreement N° 777492.
Project Website
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