ELF attends the OPTIMA Annual Meeting

Debra and Ximena from the OPTIMA Public/Patient Advisory Board (PPAB) spoke at the OPTIMA Annual Meeting in Brussels from 20 to 21 May 2025. They spoke about their contributions to the project, how it has progressed and plans for the future.  

The OPTIMA project is funded by the Innovative Health Initiative. It focusses on using artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to improve treatment outcomes for people living with lung, breast and prostate cancer and support personalised care. The PPAB is a critical part of this project, ensuring patient’s views are represented and its findings remain relevant.  

The meeting gave Debra, member of the ELF Patient Advisory Committee and President of Lung Cancer Europe, and Ximena from Europa Donna, the European Breast Cancer Coalition, a platform to highlight the benefits of involving patients in research. They spoke about: 

• Their contributions to the project and why this is important. 

• Ensuring OPTIMA’s work is focussed on patient priorities. This can be done by ensuring communication is easy to understand and that patients can have a say in the project’s activities. 

• Making research clear. By allowing patients and the public to share findings from the project, this can foster trust, transparency and ensure outcomes are relevant. 

Debra explained: 

“Engaging with the EU OPTIMA project is crucial. Our participation ensures we stay at the forefront of research developments, contribute to innovative strategies that improve care and guarantee that the perspectives of lung cancer patients are heard in efforts that directly affect their lives.”   

New survey on digital health 

The meeting also included a presentation from Polina Starchenko, Policy and Projects Coordinator at Lungs Europe. She introduced a new survey, co-developed by ELF and the CONNECT clinical research collaboration, exploring how people feel about the use of AI in healthcare. It is hoped that findings from this study can be used to shape an upcoming ELF Patient Conference on digital health and improve outcomes for patients in the future.  

Looking ahead 

The event brought together consortium partners to reflect on OPTIMA’s progress and share ideas for the year ahead. Patient involvement continues to be a core part of the project, ensuring that the tools and solutions being developed reflect the experiences and needs of the people they are designed to support. 

“It was exciting to hear about updates from OPTIMA and that there will be increased participation in the next stages of the project. Overall, OPTIMA will be of great significance to health care and patient benefit.” – Ximena Montano