e-DiaMoND: Challenges for the e-Scientist in the e-Health domain

The primary aim of the e-DiaMoND project is to explore the potential for using grid-based architectures to support the UK's NHS Breast Screening Programme. The key deliverable of the project is an infrastructure to enable the capture, storage and transport of digital mammography information, together with the deployment of selected applications to show the potential uses of such a resource. In this paper we outline the key challenges – as experienced by the e-DiaMoND team – faced by e-Scientists working in the e-Health domain. We also detail some of the lessons learnt thus far. 1. The e-DiaMoND project e-DiaMoND is a multi-disciplinary, collaborative research project funded by the UK e-Science Programme and IBM, the primary aim of which is to explore the potential for using grid-based architectures to support the UK's NHS Breast Screening Programme. The key deliverable of the project is an infrastructure to enable the capture, storage and transport of digital mammography information, together with the deployment of selected applications to show the potential uses of such a resource. A national digital mammography archive would have the potential to provide major benefits for the UK. For example, such an archive could: ensure that previous mammograms are always available, and could link up seamlessly the screening, assessment and symptomatic clinics; it could provide a huge teaching and training resource; it could enable algorithms to standardise the storage and display of images, regardless of the capture parameters or what kind of digital system was used; it could be a huge resource for epidemiological studies, such as, for example, those relating diet to breast cancer risk and patterns in mammograms; and it could aid in progress towards the next generat ion computer-aided detect ion technologies. The partner organisations involved in the eDiaMoND project are the University of Oxford, IBM (UK), and Mirada Solutions Ltd. The project also involves a number of clinical partners: King’s College London and Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Trust Hospitals, London; the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford; University College and St George’s Hospital, London; and Edinburgh University and South East Scotland Breast Care Units. In this paper, we focus not on the technological aspects of e-DiaMoND, as these experiences have been reported elsewhere. Rather, we outline the key challenges – as experienced by the e-DiaMoND team – faced by e-Scientists working in the e-Health domain. We also detail some of the lessons learnt thus far.