New Haven’s Prometheus Research Receives Federal Funding, Industry Selection

New Haven-based Prometheus Research will be receiving one million dollars in additional support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and health-focused private philanthropies for their work developing open-source integrated registry software and related clinical research informatics data standards. "The ability to use a single integrated registry platform for both observational and interventional research projects will be a boon to every research center and academic medical center trying to improve data quality while controlling costs," said David Voccola, Chief Business Development Officer at Prometheus.

Prometheus Research provides data management services and web-native data-management software to biomedical researchers investigating autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, specializing in designing and building systems capable of accelerating complex interdisciplinary research and of multiplying the value of research data.

A previous grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration, a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award, provided support for observational research being conducted in the field of autism.  Building on the success of their Phase I SBIR award from NIH, the new NIH awards provide significant additional funding for enhancing Prometheus' Research Exchange Database (RexDB®) platform with features that are required in interventional research.

Prometheus Research also recently announced that the company has been chosen by the American Optometric Association (AOA) to build a state-of-the-art registry aimed at enhancing care delivery and outcomes for the millions of patients treated by AOA members each year. AOA's Measures and Outcomes Registry for Eyecare (MORE) will leverage Prometheus' open source RexRegistry™ platform, and will securely facilitate efficient secondary uses of essential health and operations data, according to the company.

"Imagine every optometrist in the country being able to collaborate on outcomes for glaucoma management, amblyopia treatment, contact lens-induced ulcers, myopia progression and more using evidence-based outcomes to improve our patient's care instead of waiting years for clinical trials," Dr. Jeffrey Michaels, chair of the AOA's Quality Improvement and Registries Committee, said. "As the primary eye care profession, this is a huge opportunity for optometry and the millions of patients we serve every year."

Prometheus Research builds integrated registries that support biomedical research, quality improvement, education, and advocacy. The company’s registries use flexible, open source technologies.

New Haven's Prometheus Research Has Triple-Crown Worthy Win Streak

If innovation, recognition and funding are the triple crown of research technology, New Haven-headquartered Prometheus Research is in every sense a leader.

Autism Speaks and Prometheus Research have teamed up to develop a new, more user-friendly assessment portal through which parents can complete surveys for use in autism research.  The tool, called the Online Clinical System for Research (OSCR), allows parents to complete forms over the web and makes them accessible to Autism Speaks' Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) scientists, among others.  Assessments collected via OSCR provide important clues for autism research, increase the power of statistical analyses, and are easily shared with scientists and clinicians via a secure browser.

Autism Speaks is now able to view OSCR data alongside information on patient visits, diagnosis, biospecimens, and medications, points out Prometheus CEO, Dr. Leon Rozenblit.  "Through its support for new study configuration and data re-purposing, the integrated data management platform will enable Autism Speaks to significantly grow their research capabilities."  Autism Speaks' VP of Clinical Programs, Dr. Clara Lajonchere , explained that “This web-based patient-facing data collection interface will allow families to work more closely with researchers and healthcare professionals in real time.  Questionnaires can be integrated with electronic medical records or made available to clinicians prior to a clinical visit allowing healthcare professionals to better understand patient needs."

Also within the past month, P to extend its Open Source Research Exchange Database (RexDB) for the management of autism spectrum disorders research. The project aims to empower autism investigators to make more effective use of their data and more efficiently exchange data across the scientific community.  

Collaborating with Prometheus on the grant are the Yale University Child Study Center, the Marcus Autism Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, the University of Missouri Thompson Center, and others. SBIR grants are judged for scientific and technical merit, including significance of the problem being addressed, the innovative nature of the proposed solution, the overall strategy for execution, and the quality of the research team.

And finally, completing a very good month, Prometheus Research was named as one of the top ten Best Places to Work in Connecticut by the Hartford Business Journal. Prometheus received the recognition for the second year in a row.  The survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize, and honor the best employers in Connecticut, benefiting the state's economy, workforce, and businesses. Prometheus Research was selected in the small business category.

Autism Speaks is the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization. It is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism.  Wright is the former vice chairman of Connecticut-based General Electric and chief executive officer of NBC and NBC Universal.

Prometheus Research's mission is to help research institutions and funding organizations get more utility from their data.  Prometheus offers integrated data management services, expert consulting, and software customization to deliver sensible solutions powered by their adaptable, open-source, web-based RexDB technology.  The company was founded a decade ago, and is an active community participant, most recently sponsoring an Arts for Autism contest at the Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School in New Haven.  Winning artwork was featured by the company on social media channels and provided inspiration for t-shirts to be worn by the Prometheus team during the Autism Speaks Walk.