HHS Doubles AI-Backed Cancer Research Funding

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has doubled funding for its Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Designed to accelerate the development of improved diagnostics, treatments and prevention strategies, the increase changes the current funding from $50 million established in 2019 to $100 million. The initiative will also bring in private-sector partners to apply advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up cures for pediatric cancer.

HHS will use AI to maximize the potential for electronic health record and claims data to inform research and clinical trial design. Parents will remain in control of their child’s health information as the data is used to benefit patients and researchers.

“We are dedicated to using every innovative method and technology at our disposal in our fight against childhood cancer,” said NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD. “By doubling down on this mission with AI, we are ensuring that state-of-the-art science is being leveraged to provide answers about these diseases that would otherwise be out of reach.”