Disclaimer: Blythe and I both work for Roche; nevertheless, all opinions expressed in this episode are our own and do not necessarily represent the position of our employer.

What's really behind the term "real-world data" in clinical science?

And what can it actually be used for?

I asked Blythe Adamson of Flatiron Health to find out the answer.

It turns out real-world data is all the medical data collected in the “real world”, meaning outside of any clinical trial.

In other words, it's the vast majority of medical data that exists.

This includes everything from the results of blood tests, scans, and vaccinations to doctors' handwritten notes.

While the idea of using it to develop new treatments seems obvious, the reality is far from simple.

Because access to this data is disparate and varies from one country to another.

Because the diversity of their modality renders their interpretation complex.

And because until recently, we did not have the computational tools to make it work.

But now, in the age of AI and mass digitalisation of healthcare, all of this is changing at lightning speed.

Drawing on her expertise at the intersection of epidemiology, data science, and health policy, Blythe walks us through the immense challenges and opportunities of real-world data, and how they are poised to revolutionise the development of tomorrow's therapies.

An episode to understand precision medicine and the central role of real-world evidence!

Timeline:

• 00:00:00 - Blythe’s background at the interface of epidemiology, data science, and health policy


• 00:09:33 - The power of real-world data in medicine and drug development


• 00:17:11 - The barriers to accessing and leveraging real-world data at scale


• 00:20:26 - Two examples where AI can help make sense of real-world data


• 00:25:46 - Traditionally overlooked real-world data modalities in medicine


• 00:27:52 - Breaking down language barriers across real-world datasets


• 00:35:10 - Some predictions on the next AI-driven breakthroughs in oncology

What we also talked about with Blythe:

• Operation Warp Speed


• Resilience


• Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs)


• Trusted Research Environments


• De-identification


• American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)


• Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)


• American Heart Association


• European Society of Cardiology

We cited with Blythe some of the past episodes of the series:

• #40 - Cracking biology through AI - JP Vert - Owkin

As Blythe mentioned during the episode, you can visit her blog at blytheadamson.com for more information about her work.

The book recommended by Blythe is Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen.

You can get in touch with Blythe via LinkedIn, and follow the activities of Flatiron Health on LinkedIn, X, and Instagram.

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