Through the Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB | CERTH), Greece is actively participating in the pan-European effort to harness data as a “weapon” in the fight against cancer,
Recently, the launch of the flagship European research project CANDLE (National Cancer Data Node Developers) was announced through a publication in The Lancet, the most prestigious scientific medical journal. The project aims to develop a robust infrastructure for cancer research across the countries of the European Union.
The CANDLE consortium includes 40 partners from 20 European countries, including the European Cancer Organisation (Brussels, Belgium), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (Heidelberg, Germany), as well as INAB | CERTH as the National Node for Greece.
The objective of the project is to support Member States in the establishment and interconnection of National Cancer Data Nodes. These nodes will manage and share cancer-related data at national and cross-border levels, linking different national stakeholders. They will also be closely connected with other flagship European cancer data initiatives, such as the UNCAN.eu platform—a federated cancer data infrastructure—as well as the European Cancer Patient Digital Centre (ECPDC).
The Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB | CERTH) has been designated as the National Cancer Data Node for Greece by the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (GSRI) and is among the first such nodes at the European level.
Its main areas of action include the development of standardized procedures for the linking of cancer data for research purposes, the provision of advice on data analysis, and the training of researchers and healthcare professionals in cancer data research.
The CANDLE project will play a strategic role in supporting the European Health Data Space (EHDS), materializing the EU Cancer Mission and the EU Beating Cancer Plan.
The publication in The Lancet is available here:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(25)00355-9/fulltext
For additional information, please contact Ms. Fotini Kopani, INAB/CERTH Administration, +30 2310 498272, kopani@certh.gr.
