Trump signs executive order to boost childhood cancer research using artificial intelligence

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at harnessing innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) to discover cures and prevention strategies for pediatric cancer in the United States.

At a ceremony in the Oval Office, surrounded by children with illnesses, President Trump emphasized his commitment to reversing the nation's chronic disease crisis, starting with the youngest generation. "We're doing a lot for you, and you're all going to be better very soon," he told a group of children who shared their stories of overcoming leukemia, bone and brain cancer.

The move, titled "Unlocking Cures for Pediatric Cancer with Artificial Intelligence," also exploits the potential of health data combined with AI to transform clinical research and medical practice.

Collaboration and focus on AI

The order instructs the Make America Healthy Again Presidential Commission (MAHA) to collaborate with the assistant to the president for Science and Technology (APST) and the special advisor for AI and Cryptography. Together, they will develop innovative methods to employ advanced technologies, such as AI, in unlocking better diagnostics, treatments, cures and prevention strategies for pediatric and young adult cancers.

Among the opportunities identified is the expansion of the CCDI, which collects, generates and analyzes data on childhood cancer. The initiative aims to enhance data infrastructure, improve the analysis of complex biological systems and optimize clinical trial design, access, and outcomes using AI tools. It also promotes the participation of the private sector to maximize the use of advanced technologies in the search for cures.

 Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will fully integrate AI into current data interoperability efforts. This will facilitate the collection of information for research and clinical trial design in both the private and academic sectors, ensuring that patients and their parents maintain control over their health information. In that vein, Kennedy Jr. joined NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and NCI Director Anthony Letai in reaffirming the commitment to eradicating childhood cancer.

The pediatric cancer crisis

Pediatric cancer remains the leading cause of death from disease in children in the United States, with an incidence that has increased by more than 40% since 1975. Annually, about 10,000 children are diagnosed in the country, and globally, the World Health Organization estimates 400,000 cases in children under the age of 19, the White House official statement notes.