In this renewal SPORE application, the former Biostatistics and Data Management Core is renamed to better reflect our expanded services. We have considerable experience working as a team with groups of investigators in general and this group of SPORE investigators in particular. All projects in our SPORE application will require statistical support for a range of preclinical and clinical experiments. All three projects propose clinical trials, and we have a strong track record of electronic clinical trial data management for both small single institution trials and more complex randomized multi-institution trials. All projects will also benefit from our expanded support for bioinformatics and integrative proteogenomic analysis. We also provide data management support to Core 1 (Pathology and Biobanking). New informatic development in support of biobanking and clinical annotation, undertaken and cost shared with several other large projects is a significant benefit to the SPORE. In our experience, centralized quantitative science support ensures that the biostatisticians, bioinformaticians and informatics professionals are completely familiar with all aspects of the Projects and Cores. This provides continuity, increases efficiency, and ensures that appropriate methods are applied. This also increases cross-Project data sharing. The Informatics and Statistics Core (ISC) will provide three broad types of services: (1) Comprehensive biostatistical consultation, experimental design, data analysis and reporting; (2) Integrative proteome-genomic bioinformatic consultation, experimental design, data analysis and reporting; (3) Development, customization, integration and maintenance of databases and data management systems to support data management needs of SPORE projects and cores. As a by-product, when necessary, the Core can also develop new methods or adapt existing methods from other arenas to meet the unique needs of the SPORE. The SPORE benefits greatly from having a dedicated and experienced team with a range of skills. The Core can also draw flexibly on the resources and personnel in the Cancer Center Biostatistics and Informatics Shared Resource and the Zhang Lab to augment expertise, or alter access to resources as needs change. Sample size considerations, experimental designs, and overviews of planned analyses for all projects were prepared in collaboration with the Core. In addition, deep understanding of SPORE data and analysis needs, in turn, drives database and application development, ensuring that informatic solutions meet the broad, as well as project-specific, needs of the SPORE. A hallmark of SPOREs is flexibility to terminate futile studies and pursue new leads. With dedicated Core personnel, we can also help investigators design new studies and test new hypotheses that may arise by cross-fertilization of these related projects.
This Core provides comprehensive and essential statistical, bioinformatics, medical informatic and data management support to all projects, to the DRP and CEP and to the other Cores. Our mission is to bring the best possible methods to bear, and to help ensure that the translational goals of the SPORE will be met while making efficient use of resources.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 28 publications
