Accelerating the Pace of Childhood Cancer Research with Big Data
The Childhood Cancer Data Lab was established by Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) in 2017. ALSF recognized that pediatric cancer researchers face hurdles that impede the pace of research.
ALSF introduced the Data Lab to empower researchers and scientists across the globe by removing roadblocks, supporting opportunities for collaboration and sharing, and developing resources to accelerate new treatment and cure discovery.
The Data Lab's mission is to empower pediatric cancer experts poised for the next big discovery with the knowledge, data, and tools to reach it. We construct tools that make vast amounts of data widely available, easily mineable, and broadly reusable. We train researchers and scientists to better understand their own data and to advance their work more quickly.
To date, the Data Lab has trained over 400 childhood cancer researchers and has harmonized over 1.3 million data samples and made them easily available. Learn more about the Data Lab’s impact here.
Projects
The Data Lab develops tools designed to make data and analysis widely available and broadly reusable.
Data Science Workshops
The Data Lab offers workshops to teach researchers the data science skills they need to examine their own data. Our courses focus on the most cutting edge tools and analysis techniques. We ensure that participants walk away with an understanding of:
- The R programming language, R Notebooks, and some reproducible research practices.
- Processing bulk and single-cell RNA-seq data from raw all the way to downstream analyses.
- Downstream analyses methods like differential expression analyses, hierarchical clustering, and preparing publication-ready plots.
“I think anyone who is working on or near single-cell data should take this course. I am so much more confident in what I understand about single-cell analyses compared to where I was at the beginning. 10/10 recommend.”
Donate
Make a donation to support the Data Lab’s mission of putting knowledge and resources in the hands of pediatric cancer experts poised for the next big discovery.
With your help, we can
Fund innovative models to scale training workshops.
Offer our expertise and provide consultation on projects that will change the future for children fighting cancer.
Train at least 200 childhood cancer researchers over the next four years.
Blog
At the Childhood Cancer Data Lab, we support pediatric cancer researchers by providing data science training, collaborating on data-intensive projects, and designing open-source tools. Through this work, we’ve had the opportunity to engage with scientists who are applying rigorous, data-driven approaches to address some of the most pressing challenges in childhood cancer.
Applications are open for the Data Lab's upcoming workshop, which will cover advanced topics in the analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data for researchers studying pediatric cancer. The course will be held virtually from December 8-12, 2025 from 12-5pm Eastern time.
At the Childhood Cancer Data Lab, we’re committed to helping pediatric cancer researchers work more efficiently, collaboratively, and reproducibly. That’s why we created our Reproducible Research Practices workshop, first piloted in 2022 with six participants. Since then, more than 50 pediatric cancer researchers have joined us to learn hands-on techniques for achieving reproducible results in computational cancer research. This fall, we’re excited to hold the next workshop in Philadelphia, PA!
333 E. Lancaster Ave, #414
Wynnewood, PA 19096 USA
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