Secure AI Labs (SAIL), the healthcare data security company offering a solution to track and trace the use of patient data in collaborative research, has entered a partnership with the Kidney Cancer Association (KCA) to provide federated learning and data security technologies for the KCA’s Data Federation.
The KCA will leverage SAIL’s platform to make use of critical medical data from hospitals around the country while maintaining patient privacy. The resulting research has the potential for unprecedented breakthroughs in kidney cancer treatment and care that will make a meaningful difference to patients and their families.
“When it comes to accessing patient registries and other health information, privacy and security is key,” said SAIL CEO Anne Kim. “By using our secure federated learning platform, KCA is able to query medical data across the country without direct data access. That keeps patient information protected while also giving more statistical power to researchers in their efforts to find a cure for kidney cancer.”
Currently, much of this medical data is housed in many hospitals and the process of collecting and analyzing information is time- and labor-intensive. Unlike traditional data registries, SAIL offers hospitals the digital rights management platform to maintain full ownership and control of their data while conducting research, federated machine learning, and other analyses.
The KCA Data Federation will give more researchers a chance to access a larger, more diverse set of data from these disparate institutions quickly and compliantly with SAIL’s platform, which will speed up the research process.
“SAIL’s novel approach to medical data access combined with a mutual passion for advancing science in ways that benefits people with cancer made them a perfect partner for our journey into a new era of kidney cancer research,” said the KCA’s Medical Director Sallie McAdoo, MS, CGC.
This model could bring to light never-before-seen trends and patterns in kidney cancer that identify people who are more susceptible to developing kidney cancer, for example, or who might respond well to a specific treatment. This is particularly important among people with uncommon kidney cancer subtypes, where existing research is sparse and for whom treatment options are limited. The KCA is currently reaching out to hospitals to collaborate as part of the Data Federation, which is anticipated to launch in 2022.
Advances like immunotherapy and targeted therapies have resulted in major survival benefits for some kidney cancer patients but most are still being left behind. Only about 25-40% of patients respond to these treatment options and toxic side effects mean they may not tolerate treatment for long. Additionally, there is still room for improvement in the areas of screening and earlier detection. The incidences of kidney cancer are still on the rise despite years of traditional research.
“Despite tremendous advances in the past few decades, many kidney cancer patients don’t respond to treatment and are counting on research breakthroughs to ensure longer, better lives,” said Sallie. “The KCA’s Data Federation aims to solve key issues of data quantity and quality facing kidney cancer researchers. We’re excited to have SAIL’s technology expertise aid our efforts to lead the way in finding a cure for kidney cancer.”
About Secure AI Labs
Secure AI Labs (SAIL) offers a solution for hospitals to track and trace the usage of their patient data. Using the Secure AI Labs platform, data never leaves hospital firewalls but still enables scalable collaboration. Hospitals are ensured that the data is safe, and researchers can innovate faster than ever.
For more information, visit https://secureailabs.com/, and follow @secureailabs on Twitter and LinkedIn
About the Kidney Cancer Association
The Kidney Cancer Association is a community dedicated to serving and empowering patients and caregivers, and leading change through advocacy, research, and education in order to be the universal leader in finding the cure for kidney cancer. Founded in 1990 by Eugene P. Schonfeld and a small group of patients and doctors in Chicago, Illinois, the KCA has grown into an international non-profit organization based in Houston, Texas. The KCA promotes scientific advances through two annual research symposiums and a robust grant program, participates in legislative advocacy, and seeks to be a source of education and resources for patients, caregivers, and anyone impacted by kidney cancer.
For more information, visit www.kidneycancer.org and follow the KCA on Twitter and LinkedIn.
