President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing a $50 million investment in using artificial intelligence to cure childhood cancer. The order builds on the work Trump began in 2019 to battle childhood cancer by establishing the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative, which aggregates pediatric cancer data from hospitals nationwide.
The initiative aims to leverage AI to improve clinical trials, sharpen diagnoses, fine-tune treatments, unlock cures, and strengthen prevention strategies. Researchers will use AI to build scalable models to predict how a child’s body responds to therapies, letting doctors forecast cancer progression and minimize treatment side effects.
The order directs increased investment from existing federal funds for the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative to ensure the government has the best available data for this initiative. Trump’s executive order also instructs the Make America Healthy Again Commission to work with the Office of Science and Technology Policy to harness artificial intelligence for childhood cancer research.
The investment will support the development of AI models to analyze medical records and claims to design clinical trials, with a focus on improving diagnoses, treatments, and prevention strategies for childhood cancers. The initiative prioritizes patient privacy, with parents remaining in control of their child’s health information.
