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IDEA Award Winner 2008

Geography-independent Cancer Research Tools

• George Thoma, Chief, Communications Engineering Branch, National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health
• Sameer Antani, Staff Scientist, National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health
• Rodney Long, Electronics Engineer, National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health
• Mark Schiffman, Senior Investigator, National Cancer Institute

Oncologists, gynecologists, and healthcare workers are increasingly relying on network-based tools developed by the National Library of Medicine. These tools include databases with images that range from 20 megabytes to tens of gigabytes, real-time collaboration tools, as well as professional education and development tools.

These tools have changed the way geographically distant cancer researchers are able to collaborate. Over 40 researchers across 6 countries have conducted over 10 studies in just 2 years. Prior to these tools, collaboration relied on the physical exchange of photographic and glass histology slides via postal mail, with considerable logistical challenges and delays. Moreover, the convenient and accurate correlation of patient records and physical slides posed further challenges. Taking advantage of high speed networks the NLM-developed tools have made it possible to implement simultaneous views, searches, and exchange of large volume data.

These and other tools being developed aid current cancer research, and are being extended to other areas of biomedical research. For example, one tool module now enables shape-based retrieval for a collection of 17,000 digitized X-ray images of cervical and lumbar spine x-ray images and related text information. Furthermore, by extending accessibility to images and information, these tools help meet the urgent need to apply the results of biomedical research to clinical medicine