Case study 03 — Genomics research tools

PDX Finder: search for cancer models by tumor, gene and drug

Cancer researchers buying patient-derived xenograft models needed to narrow a large catalog fast. I designed a search tool built around the three questions they ask first.

Client: START
Year: 2017 · Cambridge, MA
My role: Product Designer / UI & UX
Tools: Axure

Walkthrough of the PDX Portal: searching by body site, then filtering by the PIK3CA gene and breast cancer to see model counts by drug

The problem

PDX models are tumors grown from a patient's own cancer tissue, used to test how real cancers respond to treatment. Choosing the right one means matching on several scientific attributes at once.

Prior to this, PDX models could only be found by contacting START directly and speaking with a representative over the phone, a painstaking and slow process for a complex and pressing medical need.

Three ways in

Researchers filter on the attributes that decide whether a model fits their study, then go straight to purchase.

Filter 1

Original tumor site

Where in the body the patient's cancer began.

Filter 2

Genes expressed

The molecular profile a study needs to target.

Filter 3

Drugs tested

Which treatments have already been run on each model.

The design

PDX Portal search screen with a body map showing model counts by tumor site — Search by body site, gene or drug

Filtered results with facets for site, gene and drug, and a bar chart of model counts by drug — Filtered results: model counts by drug

Open the clickable prototype

Outcome

The portal launched as a beta for START, letting researchers search by tumor site, gene or drug and see the matching models charted by drug.

Back to the first case study

Catching redundant medical tests