New data discovery tool can help clinical researchers

TriNetX Live, a tool to help clinical researchers with data discovery and study feasibility, is now available through Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Training sessions are available June 14 at University Park and June 15 in Hershey.

TriNetX Live is similar to another institute tool called Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside, also known as i2b2. Both are searchable databases of more than 1 million Penn State Health patient observations dating back to 1997. However, TriNetX Live includes a more user-friendly graphical interface and dedicated customer service that can help users create queries.

Through TriNetX Live and i2b2, users can search without prior Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for de-identified patients meeting their specified criteria. Such a search can help researchers determine whether enough potential patients are available to properly conduct a research study. With an IRB approval and an enterprise information management request, patient-level data can be requested.

The following training sessions will be available:

• Prospective Studies and Clinical Trials Using TriNetX Live is for researchers and study staff and is geared towards study feasibility, cohort discovery and recruitment process.
• Secondary Analyses and Retrospective Research Using TriNetX Live is for population health researchers, epidemiologists and other researchers who leverage retrospective secondary clinical and billing data for research.
• Back-End Technical training is for research informatics, enterprise information management and other internal local IT support.

Users can attend the sessions that are most relevant to their needs. Registration is required. Users will obtain a login and conduct actual searches during the training, and so must bring a laptop to the event.

TriNetX is being used by nearly 30 of Penn State's peers in the Clinical and Translational Science Award program. It combines data with a global health research network enabling health care organizations, pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations to collaborate, enhance trial design, accelerate recruitment and bring new therapies to market faster.

It also offers chart and graph options for data visualization and includes a rate of arrival algorithm. This algorithm determines how many patients matching certain criteria visited Penn State Health within the past three years and then predicts how many potential visits will happen each quarter over the next year. A Trial Connect feature allows clinical research organizations and industry sponsors to determine and connect with potential study sites via institutional liaisons Dr. Neal Thomas, associate dean for clinical research, and Terry Novchich, director of the Clinical Trials Office at the College of Medicine.

For details on TriNetX Live access, email i2b2@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.

See details on the University Park training session.

See details on the College of Medicine training session.

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