Michael Youdell, Director of Translational Research Infrastructure at Oxford Cancer, discusses how the CRUK Data-Driven Cancer Research Conference highlighted a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate cancer research through AI and data science.
"From 24–26 February 2026, leading cancer researchers, data scientists and clinicians from around the globe gathered at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre for Cancer Research UK’s Data-Driven Cancer Research Conference, a scientific forum exploring how big data, AI, and emerging technologies can accelerate progress in cancer patient outcomes.
At a time of unprecedented technological acceleration across fields including AI and quantum computing, there is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure that cancer patients are among the earliest and greatest beneficiaries of these advances.
Oxford cancer researchers were strongly represented throughout the programme, exemplifying how their pioneering work is helping to translate this vision into reality.
“This community has the opportunity to make sure cancer patients are the beneficiaries of what AI can offer, not weapons systems and social media. If researchers, funders, patients and government work together we can do this better and quicker than anywhere else in the world.” – Prof. Lennard Lee, Oxford University
Under the leadership of Andi Roy and the conference scientific committee, the meeting brought together a diverse agenda spanning data interoperability, AI-driven discovery, equity in personalised medicine, and the future infrastructure required to support data-enabled cancer research.
Oxford researchers played a central role in shaping these discussions.
Andrew Blake and Toral Gathani led roundtable conversations addressing key challenges facing the data-driven cancer community over the next five years, including improving data interoperability and reuse, and tackling persistent gaps in data diversity. Their contributions highlighted Oxford’s leadership in ensuring research data are findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR), while also representative of the populations affected by cancer.
The transformative potential of The AI Scientist and supercomputing Project, led by Lennard Lee, was also showcased as a model for accelerating the development of next-generation cancer vaccines through advanced computational approaches.
Anna Schuh highlighted her work to ensure that the benefits of personalised medicine are realised equitably across diverse patient populations, reinforcing Oxford’s commitment to embedding fairness and inclusivity into data-driven innovation.
The conference underscored Cancer Research UK’s ambition to maximise the value of research data by building collaborative infrastructure, funding bold data science research, and supporting the responsible, ethical use of emerging technologies.
Oxford’s contributions throughout the meeting demonstrated strong alignment with these strategic priorities, from developing AI-enabled analytical frameworks and strengthening cross-sector collaboration, to championing transparency and public trust in the use of health data.
By integrating cutting-edge computational science with clinical insight and patient-centred research, Oxford researchers are helping to place the UK at the forefront of global efforts to harness data for cancer discovery and improved patient outcomes."
