SUMMARY
The primary research interests of Eric C. Polley, Ph.D., are in the areas of advanced diagnostic assay development, new drug development and precision medicine clinical trial design. Recently, Dr. Polley's research has focused on using statistical and computational biology approaches to evaluate how molecular diagnostic assays — for example DNA sequencing or microbiome sequencing — are used for treatment decisions.
Focus areas
- Utilizing machine learning for clinical risk prediction
- Designing precision medicine clinical trials
- Statistical evaluation of high-throughput drug screening studies
- Computational biology approaches to drug discovery
- Design and validation of advanced diagnostic assays
Significance to patient care
By utilizing advanced analytic approaches, Dr. Polley's research improves the identification of promising new therapeutics and, combined with novel diagnostic procedures, improves individualized care for patients. Improvements in clinical risk prediction models allow for more precise estimates of risks and benefits, and improve clinical decision-making.
Professional highlights
- Recipient, Director's Award for development of the Molecular Analysis for Cancer Therapy Choice (NCI-MATCH) clinical trial, National Cancer Institute, 2015
- Associate editor, The International Journal of Biostatistics, 2012-present