IT Consulting for Beat19’s COVID-19 Study
Challenge
IT CONSULTING FOR BEAT19’S COVID-19 STUDY Beat19 is a project of XCures, a platform that connects people who have late-stage cancer to clinical trials. For years, xCures and sister nonprofit Cancer Commons have been developing digital tools that help patients enter into virtual trials where new treatments can be tried and compared. The software offers perpetual active learning and is designed for populations, constantly teasing out what is working best. Patients work with their oncologists and with world experts to find the best treatments for them, based on everything that is known about their condition and leading treatments, in real-time. xCures is giving patients around the world hope, while also improving their treatment outcomes. When COVID-19 hit the United States, it became very obvious that the xCures offering had the potential to save many lives. The xCure’s team, with support from Spire, built Beat19.org in under a week. Beat19 is a research study designed to help us all learn about what happens before, during and after someone has symptoms of infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Solution
A Digital Solution that Saves Lives It’s important to obtain statistically valid data before publishing studies that the entire world may rely upon. This is why the Beat19 team contacted Spire for technical due diligence, load testing, and quality assurance. In under a week, Beat19 produced a 28-page research protocol, got approval for clinical trials, harmonized with other research firms, and built infrastructure that could enroll patients and start collecting data. Pro Bono Load Testing and QA During the first month of the COVID-19 pandemic, Spire offered free, extended consulting to our partners. Because we had a birds-eye view of how different industries were coping, we continued to hear from clients who needed our advice. This simple act produced meaningful discussions with organizations like Beat19 who needed fast, pro bono support. Spire donated load testing and QA to Beat19.org. There was a considerable possibility that Beat19.org would attract significant traffic. Spire had to make sure that the website would autoscale to handle substantial server loads. In a time like this, we knew lives were at stake. Solving Global Problems with AI During COVID-19, Spire has provided IT consulting and partnership. With our partners at Made to Impact, we’ve launched a benevolence fund to support employees facing financial hardship through this difficult time. We’re building digital experiences for face2face, a one to one model that gets surgical masks into the hands of front line workers. We’re accustomed to helping organizations solve other global problems like food shortages and climate change, which is evident in our work with the USDA and Unilever. We look forward to supporting xCures and Beat19 in the future, whether it be through COVID treatment research or cancer treatment research. This isn’t the first pandemic the world has ever seen, but with Spire’s help, Beat19 and xCures will make sure this is one of the last.
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