An innovative research tool that helps doctors around the world collaborate in cancer research garnered the NLM a prestigious Internet2 Driving Exemplary Applications (IDEA) Award in April.

The IDEA awards recognize innovators who have created and deployed advanced network applications that enable transformational progress in research, teaching, and learning. Internet2 is a consortium of universities, companies, government, and research labs.

NLM was recognized for its network-based, geography-independent cancer research tools that enable doctors world-wide to participate in cancer research studies and access analysis of cancer research data.

The cancer research tools, currently being utilized for cervical cancer research, have transformed the way geographically distant cancer researchers collaborate. The NLM tools include systems capable of storing thousands of images and longitudinal patient records, and provide access to these images by shape, color and texture features.

The awards were presented at Internet2’s 2008 Spring Member Meeting. Thoma, Sameer Antani and L. Rodney Long of NLM and Marck Schiffman of the National Cancer Institute collaborated on the award-winning work.