The CYCORE cyberinfrastructure will represent a significant advance in data aggregation and computer networking, according to Calit2 Chief System Architect Ingolf Krueger. "This cyberinfrastructure is uniquely positioned in its responsiveness to stakeholder needs," explained Krueger. "It is policy-reactive, meaning that it's a system that will change its behavior in response to direction by the researchers and other stakeholders themselves, and not just outside software developers. This saves time and enables more agile collaboration by cancer researchers who are searching for a cure."

"I consider CYCORE as a triple-play win for UC San Diego and Calit2," claimed Patrick. "It will further strengthen what we are doing to develop cyberinfrastructure for health-related research, in particular research that capitalizes on the increasing availability of wireless and mobile technologies and wearable sensors. Our work in this area related to measurement of health behaviors is highly novel and this is one reason that M. D. Anderson approached us to participate in this project. Once the CYCORE prototype is developed and tested, our plans include using it in other settings, including in our own cancer-related research here at UC San Diego." Patrick is a member of the Moores Cancer Center and has been principal investigator on several NCI-funded projects.

The UCSD researcher also notes that comparative effectiveness research is a cornerstone of the Obama Administration's aims for health-care reform. "It's critical to develop a health information infrastructure that can be used by comparative effectiveness researchers," noted Patrick, "and CYCORE will help set some of the foundational aspects of this."

The NIH grant is one of the largest received by UC San Diego under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) federal stimulus funding program: "This project will bring new individuals into the workforce in San Diego, including at least three high-level software programmers, and also support several doctoral-level students and post-docs - an important benefit in this time of rising fees for UCSD students," Patrick said.

Added UCSD Vice Chancellor for Research Arthur B. Ellis: "UC San Diego is delighted to be part of this CYCORE project that exemplifies ARRA goals. Not only will the CYCORE project support a large cadre of interdisciplinary researchers, but the cyberinfrastructure to be developed will spawn a variety of new capabilities and technologies that will help combat cancer and more generally contribute to the health of our society."

Experts predict that U.S. spending on health care will double to more than $4 trillion annually by the middle of the next decade - a trend that Ramesh Rao, Calit2's UCSD division director, argues is not sustainable.

"We need to advance the science of more rapidly understanding which therapeutic approaches for cancer - and indeed for all areas of health - are working, and which aren't," concluded Rao. "We think a big part of what will enable this will be through harnessing the capabilities of the kinds of information technologies we have at Calit2 and UC San Diego."

Source: University of California - San Diego