A new digital infrastructure to accelerate research in human and social sciences and quality of life in oncology
Unicancer, in association with a multidisciplinary consortium, is creating a new digital infrastructure: WeShare. In the long term, it will accelerate research in the Human and Social Sciences and Quality of Life in the field of cancer and post-cancer. The fruit of collaboration between Unicancer, Gustave Roussy (Villejuif), the Centre Léon Bérard (Lyon) and the Centre Baclesse (Caen), the WeShare platform aims to identify new levers to act on the impact of cancer and its treatment on patients' quality of life.
"This program is a valuable opportunity for the Centre Baclesse to facilitate data collection from patients. It acts as a real catalyst for human and social science research in the field of oncology, working closely with patients. This promising project also enables us to work alongside recognized experts, such as the Seintinelles platform, theÉcole Polytechnique, and the national Quality of Life and Cancer platform," explains François GERNIER.
Take into account changes in patient life expectancy
The progress made in recent decades in the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients treated for cancer has improved both their life expectancy and their quality of life. As patients live longer, we need to set new priorities and develop new fields of research to reduce the medical and psycho-social risks associated with cancer and its treatment. The aim is to facilitate the integration of human and social science research with conventional clinical oncology research.
WeShare: a shared national research infrastructure
WeShare is a feature-rich web platform designed to :
- Facilitate the implementation of decentralized research (i.e. at a distance, mainly in the patient's home) via the provision of digital tools with- tools for capturing data from the patient (ePROs, already available)- tools such as eConsent, randomization, biosensors, being implemented in 2024;- tools such as video functionality, automatic remote data capture, etc. (to come).
- The creation of a health data warehouse that will enable subsequent large-scale cross-disciplinary research based on data collected via the digital tools developed.
- The development of research in SHS and QDV, while facilitating links between a community of patients, users, citizens and researchers.
WeShare (ANR-21-ESRE-0017) was selected for the 2020 Equipex call for projects by the ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche) under the "Investissements d'avenir" program, and has been awarded €11 million in funding.
Several pilot studies are currently underway in the WeShare incubator, and numerous studies are already planned both nationally and internationally. For more information, visit the WeShare website.
The Centre Baclesse's role in WeShare
The Centre Baclesse is one of 3 hospital partners, along with the Institut Gustave Roussy (Villejuif) and the Centre Léon Bérard (Lyon).
Objective for the first half of 2025: optimizing PRO collection
PROs (Patient-Reported OutcomeS) are measures reported directly by patients, without intermediaries, concerning their state of health and the possible effects of treatments. The data collected concerns the adverse and side effects of treatments. These data will be collected from patients taking part in specific studies on these subjects. This initiative aims to facilitate the work of researchers by improving access to quality data directly from patients.
Introduction in 2026 of a computerized tool to facilitate the work of neuropsychologists
The Centre Baclesse will develop a tool to improve data entry and score calculation for neuropsychologists.
Participation in various committees
- Executive committees
- Operational infrastructure and technical committees
- Valorization Committee
- Ethics Committee
- Communication and Community Interaction Committee
- WeShare Biosensors
The people in charge of the partnership at the Centre Baclesse :
- Pr Roman ROUZIER, General Manager, Centre Baclesse
- Prof. Florence JOLY, Scientific Director, Centre Baclesse
- François GERNIER, care research coordinator at the Centre Baclesse, in charge of digital innovation in healthcare
Our partners
