Newsletter #2 - Autumn 2025
This is the second issue of the PROTECT-CHILD project newsletter.
PROTECT-CHILD is a research project funded by the EU Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and Switzerland, now at the 1.5 year project mark, which aims to improve paediatric transplant outcomes with genomic data integration leveraging cutting-edge technology, data integration, and secure healthcare solutions to improve outcomes for children needing life-saving transplants across Europe.
If you missed the first issue of the PROTECT-CHILD newsletter where we introduced the detailed objectives, structure, and vision of the project, you can read it here.
New PROTECT-CHILD Youtube Channel & Webinar Series
We are excited to share that the PROTECT-CHILD project has launched its official YouTube channel! This new platform will host videos, interviews, and recorded webinars showcasing the project’s progress and the expertise of our partners.
To start, the channel features three recorded webinars presented by partner institutions:
Federated Computing in the Context of the EHDS – Learn about the requirements that a federated analytics/learning protocol must meet to be compliant with the European Health Data Space (EHDS) and a demo of the Vantage6 system in this recorded PROTECT-CHILD webinar. Presentation by Dr. Matteo Gabetta, Ph.D., BIOMERIS, and Giulia Vitello, M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering.
The OMOP-CDM and OMOP-on-FHIR – Learn how the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model (CDM) and the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) approach support harmonized, large-scale health data integration in this recorded PROTECT-CHILD webinar. Presentation by Benoit L. Marteau, Georgia Institute of Technology.
ELSI Seminar on NIS2 and Secure Processing Environments in the EHDS – Explore how NIS2 connects with the European Health Data Space through secure processing environments in this recorded PROTECT-CHILD ELSI seminar. Presentation by Dr. Francesca Tassinari, Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU).
These sessions provide valuable insights into the project’s scientific foundations, technical developments, and collaborative approach. We invite you to explore the channel, watch the webinars, and subscribe for future updates.
IEEE BHI Conference on Biomedical and Health Informatics (BHI), Atlanta, Georgia
On October 30th, 2025, PROTECT-CHILD organised a dedicated workshop at the BHI Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, titled “Federated Intelligence for Secure and Personalised Paediatric Transplant Care.”
The session highlighted the significance of the PROTECT-CHILD project ambitions. Children undergoing organ transplants face complex long-term challenges due to treatment-related complications and variable immunosuppressive responses. The session demonstrated how PROTECT-CHILD is working to address these through genomics, real-world evidence, and advanced computational solutions. Building on the ambitions of the European Health Data Space, the project emphasises privacy, trust, and cross-border interoperability for truly personalised paediatric transplant care.
The workshop showcased how federated learning, zero-trust architectures, OMOP-on-FHIR, and even quantum algorithms support secure, ethical, and privacy-preserving data sharing across European clinical centres, and explored future pathways for integrating these technologies into paediatric healthcare.
Throughout the event, PROTECT-CHILD partners presented key scientific and technical contributions:
Prof. Maria Fernanda Cabrera opened the workshop with an overview of the project.
Dr. Matteo Gabetta (BIOMERIS) detailed the extraction and standardisation of clinical data to populate the PROTECT-CHILD data space.
Prof. Pablo Lapunzina (Hospital Universitario La Paz) presented the project’s genomic study.
Dr. Eugenio Gaeta (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid) introduced the project’s zero-trust architecture.
Dr. Andrea Ceschini (Sapienza University of Rome) demonstrated how quantum genomics technologies can improve and secure genomic analyses.
Dr. Andrew Hornback (Georgia Institute of Technology) explained the use of LLM agents to extract medical entities from textual clinical data.
Dr. Milan Vuković (BELIT) presented how the project will manage patient consent through the FAST SCM reference implementation.
In the STAR-AI Workshop, Prof. Denise Lo shared insights on the key challenges for leveraging shared data and AI in solid-organ transplantation, while Dr. Elena Martinelli introduced the PROTECT-CHILD study protocol focused on secure multi-centre data sharing.
The conference provided a highly enriching opportunity to disseminate project results to an international audience and to gather valuable feedback that will strengthen the next stages of the project. We extend our sincere thanks to Prof. May Dongmei Wang from the Georgia Institute of Technology also a member of the PROTECT-CHILD consortium for her critical support in making this successful initiative possible.
Discover more about the conference programme here: https://bhi.embs.org/2025/program-at-a-glance/
Results, Meetings, and Progress
The PROTECT-CHILD project held its Second Plenary Meeting in Palermo, Italy during June 2025 hosted by ISMETT and its Third Plenary Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. during October 2025 hosted by Georgia Institute of Technology.
You can find ongoing blog posts dedicated to showcasing progress from each active Work Package (WP) here.
You can find a list of all expected deliverables and access the public deliverables here. Some of the new completed deliverables since the previous newsletter include:
- D2.1 High level requirements and user stories (public)
- D2.2 Stakeholder requirements and legal framework (public)
- D2.3 Data, metadata models and platform architecture (public)
- D8.4 Study protocol and study registration in clinical study registry (sensitive)
- D8.5 Report on pilot study approval (sensitive)
- D10.4 Communication & Dissemination report (public)
