Leveraging a global, federated, real-world data network to optimize investigator-initiated pediatric clinical trials: the TriNetX Pediatric Collaboratory Network

Abstract

Objective: Clinical research networks facilitate collaborative research, but data sharing remains a common barrier. Materials and Methods: The TriNetX platform provides real-time access to electronic health record (EHR)-derived, anonymized data from 173 healthcare organizations (HCOs) and tools for queries and analysis. In 2022, 4 pediatric HCOs worked with TriNetX leadership to found the Pediatric Collaboratory Network (PCN), facilitated via a multi-institutional data-use agreement (DUA). The DUA enables collaborative study design and execution, with institutional review board-approved transfer of complete datasets for further analyses on a per-protocol basis. Results and Discussion: Of the 41.2 million children with TriNetX records, the PCN represents nearly 10%. The PCN assisted several early-career investigators to bring study concepts from conception to an international scientific meeting presentation and journal submission. Conclusion: The PCN facilitates EHR vendor-agnostic multicenter pediatric research on the global TriNetX platform. Continued growth of the PCN will advance knowledge in pediatric health.