Management tasks include:
Based on a pilot study funded within the DFG Research Training Group „Life Sciences – Life Writing“ (GRK 2015/2) at UMC-Mainz, WP2 will generate empirical data by the means of qualitative social research in order to better determine the children’s best interest regarding quality of life, bodily self-image and burden of disease as well as burden of study-specific intervention. Especially the long-standing experience in regulatory affairs enables the coordinator of WP2 to support the FORTEe-consortium as a one-stop agency for an ethically responsible, socially valuable, legally justifiable and clinically relevant research strategy. In this regard the WP2 will in particular:
Our ambition is to demonstrate that precision exercise training can improve the patients’ physical performance, reduce their fatigue and improve their resilience and quality of life. This WP is strictly interfaced with WP2 (ethics) and WP5 (data management and analysis). By data emerging from the clinical trial, it will be possible to fulfil the goals presented in WP6 (dissemination). A new approach within FORTEe is the development of new technology tools (WP4) to improve the exercise programs executed during the clinical trial. Thus, the following objectives will be pursued by WP3:
One solution to this is technology in the form of mobile augmented reality devices that could be used to bridge the gap between hospital and community-based rehabilitation. Complimenting this community-based technology intervention, screen-based technology has come to the fore as an effective way of providing functional training with exercise instructions and direct feedback in real-time using camera systems. This technology already exists in the form of the Pixformance device with an in-unit camera that scans 26 body points for precise motion capture. However, there is currently no children-specific application. Pixformance will help to support health and exercise professionals delivering exercise to larger groups of patients and/or give patients independent access to exercise (e.g. within rural areas or during physical distancing respectively during recovery periods at patients’ homes). Moreover, Pixformance aims to improve the exercise provision for this population significantly while hospitalised – especially when human resources are scarce. The aims of WP4 are therefore the development of an augmented reality software with age and condition-specific exercises as well as a children-specific exercise application for the Pixformance device in order to offer additional exercise provision options during the hospitalised phase and at home.
Moreover, WP5 will develop a statistical analysis plan and standard operating procedures for each clinical site. In close collaboration with WP3, the WP5 will carry out data exploration, visualisation and statistics in a way that uncovers new insights into the research questions being asked. The data management in WP5 will be conducted at UKHD with the support of the Coordination Centre for Clinical Trials (KKS) Heidelberg, which is certified as highly qualified data centre by the European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (ECRIN). The statistical analysis in WP5 will be performed by a well experienced statistician of the Interdisciplinary Centre for clinical Studies (IZKS) at UMC-Mainz. NURO as expert in media and software development will work together with UKHD in WP5 to assure a proper and easy-to-use data transfer of the FORTEe app to the database. NURO bundles high design and software competence as well as know-how related to the market and communication.
The Universitätsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (UMC-Mainz) is a centre for medical innovation, committed to the advancement of health care and aims to play a nationally and internationally recognised leading role in improving the quality of health care including E-health. As such, the UMC-Mainz is experienced in education and dissemination of knowledge among the different stakeholders. The Foundation Youth Cancer Europe (YCE) is a patient organisation that incorporates youth cancer networks across Europe and is –as a stakeholder- already actively involved in the outreach of the European Commission on Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. Thus, YCE is essential for the promotion of FORTEe results in collaboration with the health professionals among young people with childhood cancer across Europe and to help promote awareness of childhood cancer-related complications and positive effects of exercise training. The information provided by the YCE will reach members in 31 countries in European Union including Israel. The coordinator of the nationwide ActiveOncoKids network in Germany (UKESSEN) as a FORTEe partner and the European College of Sport Science (ECSS) as member of the FORTEe Scientific and Ethical Advisory Board (SEAB) will support FORTEe with dissemination to their established communication channels (e.g. the network ActiveOncoKids, NAOK, as part of Society for Paediatric Oncology and Haematology, GOPH). With more than 250 direct contacts and several thousand indirect contacts (with around 20 locations in the network, each with paediatric oncology clinics) per year within the childhood cancer community, UKESSEN will greatly facilitate uptake of new knowledge by the scientific community, the general public and patients in Europe.