The fourth CCE_DART General Assembly Meeting (GAM) was successfully held. The encounter served as a pivotal moment to set the roadmap to continue advancing data-rich clinical trials in oncology. The GAM, hosted by Karolinska Institutet, took place on May 2-3, 2024, in Stockholm, Sweden.
A Novel and Collaborative Project
CCE_DART main objective is to deliver novel methods for the design and implementation of newer, more efficient and effective clinical trials in oncology. Funded by the European Union and operating within the Cancer Core Europe (CCE) framework, the project has benefited from collaborations with partners such as Data River, The Hyve, and IRCCS. In addition, the Basket of Baskets (BoB) Clinical Trial—a modular multi-country investigator-led precision medicine trial—has served as a key use case for several of the project’s initiatives.
Setting the Stage
Janne Lehtiö from Karolinska Institutet welcomed participants, setting the stage for Elena Garralda’s, CCE_DART Coordinator, introduction of the meeting’s objectives. After, Elena Chavarria, the project manager, provided a comprehensive overview of the milestones achieved, progress updates and next steps.
Overview of the ongoing tasks
Group leaders provided insights and updates on the project tasks still in progress. The RELEVANCE study and the PROMs study are scheduled to commence recruitment in the coming weeks. Regarding biomarkers, advancements in proteomics, ctDNA, and radiomics were shared. Updates on the new clinical trial design were also provided. Finally, the latest tasks completed for communication, dissemination, and exploiting results were presented. This session was crucial for organizing and outlining the roadmap for the next few months.
CCE_DART Results
The results of some of the finalized WPs have been presented during GAM4. Leaders of each group presented detailed reports on accomplishments, highlights, and learnings, including the establishment of a BoB trial data biorepository, the development and optimization of iTRACKER, a clinical trial management tool, and the creation of a data sharing platform for new marker application, analysis, and validation for imaging. Finally, the PPI workshop has been held, and iENTER, a web platform with information for patients and caregivers, has been finalized and launched.
Highlights from Parallel Meetings
The second day started early with two parallel meetings. Cinzia Brunelli from the Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, emphasized the importance of patient involvement in clinical trials. In addition, she announced CCE_DART’s participation in the upcoming CCE Summer School in Translational Cancer Research 2024, featuring a workshop on Patient and Public Involvement (PPI). The second parallel meeting was on biomarkers, chaired by Janne Lehtiö and Richard Baird, which explored advancements in the field and the best way to apply those within the project.
Conclusion
The CCE_DART team concluded two dynamic days energized to continue driving advancements in oncology research. Special thanks to Karolinska Institutet for welcoming the different members, organising the meeting and their warm hospitality.
CCE_DART project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 965397.
