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Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Clinical and Translational Science

The PhRMA Foundation and ASCPT’s journal Clinical and Translational Science are partnering on a Challenge Award for trainees.

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$5,000 Challenge Award for Trainees

The PhRMA Foundation and ASCPT’s journal Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) are partnering on a Challenge Award competition that will award trainees for outstanding papers addressing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in clinical and translational science.

The PhRMA Foundation will provide the Challenge Award — a prize of $5,000 — to the first author of up to five winning papers, and CTS will publish these accepted manuscripts as part of a special collection. Additionally, the Foundation will pay CTS’s open-access publishing fee for each winning paper.

Deadline: March 15, 2025

  • First authors must be graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, or clinical residents (e.g., interns, residents, or fellows in medicine or pharmacy.) All award money will be distributed to the first author only.
  • Papers must be submitted by March 15, 2025.
  • Authors must indicate in their cover letter that the paper is for the PhRMA Foundation Challenge Award competition.
  • Employees of pharmaceutical companies are allowed to compete but are not eligible to receive award money due to restrictions on provision of financial awards by the Foundation.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are at the forefront of a revolution in clinical and translational science. These advanced technologies herald a new era of innovation, where complex datasets can be deciphered with unprecedented speed and accuracy, enabling breakthroughs in disease diagnosis, drug discovery/development and precision medicine. In light of the transformative potential of AI/ML, this collection is dedicated to assembling a diverse array of original research articles, reviews, and position papers that expand the frontier of current medical practice and drug discovery and development. Submissions of original research are particularly encouraged.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Innovations in AI/ML that facilitate translational research from bench to bedside.
  • Leveraging AI/ML for biomarker identification and qualification.
  • Applying AI/ML in nonclinical studies.
  • Integrating AI/ML in clinical trial design, operation, and data analyses.
  • Utilization of AI/ML to tailor therapeutic strategies to individual patients.
  • Monitoring drug safety post-marketing using AI/ML tools.
  • Discussion of the regulatory and ethical considerations in employing AI/ML tools.

Authors must submit manuscripts through CTS’s online submission system by March 15, 2025. Authors must indicate in their cover letter that they wish to be considered for the PhRMA Foundation Challenge Award.

Early submissions are welcomed. All submissions will undergo the journal’s peer-review process. All papers accepted for publication by CTS will be published, but only those selected as winners by the PhRMA Foundation will receive the $5,000 Challenge Award and payment for their open-access publication. Challenge Award winners will be determined by members of the Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee.

Please contact ctseditor@ascpt.org if you would like to make a pre-submission inquiry or with questions about manuscript types and format requirements. You can also review the Author Guidelines here. Please direct any Challenge Award eligibility questions to info@phrmafoundation.org.