The COMFORT project is a new interdisciplinary research endeavour set out to improve the health and well-being of people affected by prostate and kidney cancer.
Prostate cancer (PCa) and kidney cancer (KC) are among the most prevalent cancers. Europe sees some of the highest incidence rates of KC for both men and women in the world, while PCa accounted for approximately 23 % of all new cancer cases diagnosed in men across European Union countries in 2020. These cancers have a significant impact on the health and quality of life of those affected and place an increasing burden on our healthcare system, with costs exceeding EUR 12 billion each year.
Modern medicine generates a tremendous amount of structured and unstructured data (such as electronic health records, biomarkers, and complex medical imaging) that surpasses human analytical abilities, resulting in inaccurate diagnoses and ineffective treatments. Efficiently leveraging health data can reduce these burdens, but current clinical methods fall short in utilising the wealth of available data.
To address these challenges, the newly launched COMFORT research project is developing a cutting-edge decision support system. The innovative tool will use artificial intelligence (AI) and data-driven insights to assist medical professionals in delivering improved care for people affected by PCa or KC. The project, led by Charité, begins activities in April 2023, will run for four years and will receive funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme.
Quantib will be one of the partners working in the COMFORT project along with other medical and academic institutions of several European countries.
"COMFORT offers partners from academia, industry and patient representative groups an opportunity to collaboratively unlock data to improve diagnosis and treatment for prostate and kidney cancer patients.” – Jorrit Glastra, CTO at Quantib.
Read the official statement about COMFORT in the project website: https://www.comfort-ai.eu.