National Cancer Institute (NCI) shared on LinkedIn:
“During my time as a physician-scientist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, I saw firsthand how much time our clinical staff spent on manual data entry and heavy paperwork. It was frustrating. Our researchers and clinicians should be focused on patients and science-not buried in administrative tasks.
That is why NCI, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), and the Children’s Oncology Group are working together to streamline the daily operations of clinical trials. A key part of this collaboration is the Pediatric Care eXpansion (PCX) initiative-an ARPA-H-funded program designed to connect hospitals nationwide to make clinical, imaging, and health record data more accessible across the childhood cancer community. Together, NCI’s Childhood Cancer Data Initiative and PCX are building a secure, interoperable data infrastructure.
With structured, harmonized data available across networks, we can begin applying advanced technologies to enhance trial efficiency. Right now, we are piloting tools that securely extract data directly from electronic health records to automatically populate clinical trial forms, saving staff hours of manual data entry.
We are also turning complex, paper-based trial protocols into computable digital criteria, enabling doctors to quickly scan records with secure software that alerts them when a patient matches a trial’s eligibility. At the same time, we’re using AI to standardize trial protocols and translate consent documents into different languages to make research and clinical trial participation more accessible.
While these efforts are beginning in pediatric cancer, our goal is to scale the tools to adult oncology. By standardizing and automating routine processes, we can reduce the burden on clinicians and researchers-and ultimately help bring promising new treatments to patients faster. – Tony”
See also: The 100 Most Influential People in Oncology in 2025 (Full List)
Anthony Letai was recognized among OncoDaily’s The 100 Most Influential People in Oncology in 2025, highlighting his contributions to the field of oncology.
Nominations for 100 Influential People in Oncology 2026 are now open, recognizing leaders, researchers, clinicians, innovators, advocates, and other individuals making a meaningful impact on oncology and cancer care.
Don’t miss the opportunity to nominate yourself, a colleague, or someone whose contributions deserve to be recognized.
Submit your nomination by September 15.
