Bala Cynwyd-based Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which raises funds for pediatric cancer research, has established the Childhood Cancer Data Lab hoping to use big data to help fight childhood cancer, writes Zari Tarazona for the Technical.ly Philly.

CCDL was founded two years ago and is based in Center City. There, the data scientists, coders, and designers develop data tools and training “to empower childhood cancer researchers to utilize the vast amounts of data to make more robust discoveries and cures, faster and cheaper,” according to the foundation.

The data lab’s mission is in its tagline: “Turning researchers who fight childhood cancer into data wizards.”

As part of its operations, the CCDL hosted a data science training workshop last week. The workshop covered machine learning, processing of bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing data, and a programming language for statistical computing named ‘R’.

According to Jaclyn Taroni, principal data scientist at the CCDL, there is plenty of room for progress when it comes to training pediatric cancer experts.

“Science works best when we all understand as much of the process as possible,” she said.

Read more about the Childhood Cancer Data Lab at the Technical.ly Philly by clicking here.