Going beyond bibliometrics: A system to track the progress and impact of biomedical research funded by Susan G. Komen

Traditional metrics used to assess the outcomes and impact of biomedical research, such as publications, citations, and follow-up grant funding, do not measure the impact on changes in health practice (standard of care), policy, guidelines, or other societal outcomes and may not be meaningful to stakeholders, such as patients, donors, or the public. Susan G. Komen has developed a research product tracking system to monitor the progress of Komen-funded research products along the research pipeline and to measure the potential impact on patients more directly. In the Komen Product Tracking System, each funded grant is classified by product potential (e.g., treatment, biomarker, etc.) and by stage in the research pipeline (e.g., basic research, preclinical research, clinical trials, and regulatory approval/commercialization). Progress through the research pipeline is updated each year while the grant is active. The Komen Product Tracking System can be used to assess outcomes and the impact of Komen-funded research in several ways: by viewing snapshots at a given time to understand what research products are in the pipeline at that time and what stages they are in, viewing new products added during a defined funding period and, most importantly, assessing how many products have progressed in the research pipeline and have contributed to, or have potential to contribute to, practice changes that result in direct impacts on patients. The tracking system enables us to communicate the impact of our research to our donors, patients, the public, and other stakeholders in a more meaningful way.