UNICA4EU: A unique European vision for Artificial Intelligence to fight Childhood Cancer
In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, the UNICA4EU project served as a pilot to explore the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to combat Childhood Cancer across Europe. Thanks to funding from the European Union, this important initiative has brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to consider a new EU-wide methodology supporting specific AI-based interventions in pediatric oncology.
Recently, we celebrated a major milestone with our Closing Event on February 28th, 2024. During this gathering, we presented key takeaways and discussed next steps. Now, our focus shifts to putting our project’s recommendations into action, collaborating with various EU bodies in health, research, and digital sectors to sustain momentum and make a real impact.
The consortium has been working on a series of white papers to highlight the core areas of the project’s implementation, conceived to be published as part of a special issue in the EJC Pediatric Oncology:
- Patients /Survivors/ Parents survey on knowledge and opinions in AI. (CCI Europe)
- Common core variables for Childhood cancer. (UNIPD)
- Review of current AI initiatives in Paediatric oncology databases. (UPM)
- Medical standards in AI childhood cancer (Norbert Graf)/ Review of current data repositories and accessibility. (USAAR)
- Use case scenarios. (PMC)
- Why data protection legislation is a barrier to AI in Paediatric Oncology + European Childhood Cancer data initiative. How do we get there? (CCRI)
- Results from EU4CHILD and UNICA4EU consultation with stakeholders: HCPs survey on knowledge and opinion of AI in Paediatric Oncology and EU4CHILD results. (IFIC)
- The following paper has been already published: Data Collection and creation of an AI knowledge base. (OPBG)
A notable achievement of our project has been identifying factors influencing AI technology adoption in paediatric cancer care. Understanding and addressing these factors are crucial for the sustainability of our AI initiatives. Our roadmap focuses on tailoring care, fostering community-centred approaches, and enhancing coordination across Europe, with input from diverse stakeholders, including patients, caregivers, and healthcare leaders.
The UNICA4EU project has generated a wealth of valuable resources. UNICA4EU Key exploitable results (KERs) encompass outcomes like medical standards for AI, clinical use-case definitions, interoperability guidelines, transparency and collaboration reports, policy briefs, publications, and training materials. These results drive innovation by advancing AI integration in healthcare, promoting data harmonization, facilitating knowledge sharing, and offering insights to stakeholders from healthcare providers to policymakers.
Looking ahead, we're enthusiastic about continuing our collaboration and innovation efforts. We draw inspiration from projects like the European Health Data & Evidence Network (EHDEN) and the EUCAIM project, making significant strides in standardized healthcare data sharing and AI applications in cancer care.
In essence, the UNICA4EU project underscores the importance of teamwork and strategic AI utilization in addressing childhood cancer. We remain dedicated to harnessing the power of AI as an ally in this fight, promising further updates as we continue our journey toward a healthier future for our children.
Additionally, we are excited to announce that anyone attending the SIOPE Annual meeting in May 2024 in Milan will have the opportunity to join the open session about the project and learn more about its outcomes.
