Dream Challenges

What is a DREAM Challenge?

The Dialogue on Reverse Engineering Assessment and Methods (DREAM) – better known as DREAM Challenges are an open science and collaborative challenge framework. A DREAM Challenge poses one or more questions within a scientific domain to the biomedical research community to spur innovative solutions. DREAM has successfully run over 50 Challenges in multiple disease and biomedical domains spanning basic, translational, and clinical research.  Over 25,000 unique individuals from around the world have participated in challenges with diverse backgrounds in the biological, medical, and quantitative sciences. While DREAM leverages the psychology of competition to incentivize groups, the mission of DREAM Challenges is to collectively and collaboratively advance human health through a deeper understanding of biology and disease. Please go here for more information on recent successful DREAM Challenges.

Examples of previous Challenges include:

  • Prediction of drug sensitivity in cell lines using genomic data. [link]
  • Prediction of patient outcomes in metastatic prostate cancer using clinical trial data. [link]
  • Assessment and comparison of variant detection algorithms from DNA sequencing. [link]
  • To learn more about previous DREAM Challenges please visit the DREAM Challenge home page

CD2H and DREAM have partnered to host a series of CTSA Challenges focused on computational topics and scientific questions relevant to CTSA. There are many informatics areas that could benefit from DREAM Challenges, including phenotype and outcome prediction, NLP, image classification, and other quantitative areas of biomedicine.   There are many ways to become involved, whether you have an idea for a Challenge, have data for a Challenge, or want to participate within a Challenge! We enthusiastically welcome ideas and input from the CTSA community. We launched our first CD2H Idea Competition in Fall 2018 and encourage you to submit DREAM Challenge ideas below.

CD2H DREAM Challenges and the CTSA Program:

The CD2H is bringing DREAM Challenges to the CTSA Program to help promote the collaborative development and dissemination of innovative informatics solutions to accelerate translational science and improve patient care. The CTSA Program houses a wealth of innovative ideas, data, and clinical and translational expertise. The CD2H DREAM Challenges will help leverage these strengths and provide a platform to facilitate cross hub collaboration and productive industry partnerships. The benchmarks, algorithms, and other solutions developed through the CD2H DREAM Challenges will help advance the use of cutting-edge informatics across the CTSA Program and beyond.

Opportunities for engagement with CD2H DREAM Challenges:

  • Propose a scientific question through the CD2H Idea Competition
  • Champion a challenge
  • Contribute data
  • Form a team and participate in an active DREAM Challenge
  • Pilot a DREAM Challenge solution at your hub
Please let us know your DREAM Challenge ideas