About Project Data Sphere

Our mission

Improve outcomes for cancer patients by openly sharing data, convening world class experts, and collaborating across industry and regulators to catalyze new scientific insights that accelerate delivery of effective treatments to patients.

What makes us unique

  • Our exclusive focus on oncology
  • Our neutral, independent status helps us convene diverse interests
  • Our deep relationships among industry, academia, government research, and regulatory authorities make collaboration a natural fit
  • Our open-access data-sharing model gives researchers rapid and ready access to data sets and free access to SAS analytical tools

Indeed, it is our uniqueness that influenced the editors of The New England Journal of Medicine to publish in the journal's high-impact Sounding Board section a manuscript titled "Advantages of a Truly Open-Access Data Sharing Model."

Who we are

Project Data Sphere is an independent initiative of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer.  As a "convener, collaborator, catalyst," our power lies in our ability to leverage experts spanning industry, academia, and government to achieve our mutual goals of improving cancer trials in order to expedite drug discovery.

What we do

We drive cancer research and accelerate the development of new therapies through two synergistic initiatives: 

  • Our open-access data-sharing platform. The Project Data Sphere® platform provides a place where the world's research community can broadly share, integrate, and analyze patient-level data from academic and industry cancer clinical trials. Launched in 2014 with nine data sets, the platform currently features about 155 data sets representing more than 120,000 patient lives. Access to data sets is granted through a quick process, and a variety of SAS analytic tools are freely available to registered users.
  • Our collaborative research programs. We manage four programs that explore leading issues in oncology using machine learning tools and big data analytics. Each program is led by a Project Data Sphere staff member who assembles targeted task forces comprising notable members of industry, academia, and regulatory science. Biannual symposia co-hosted with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provide a rich forum in which to take a deep dive into the work of these task forces.