Loyola Seniors Take Fourth Place at Pfizer Hackathon with AI-Powered Clinical Trial Platform
Two Loyola seniors—one studying Computer Science, the other Neuroscience—united by a shared passion for AI, developed Ribbon, an AI-powered platform that connects patients with clinical trials, earning fourth place in Pfizer's national technology hackathon.
Finding the right clinical trial can be challenging, often leaving patients to navigate complex medical information on their own. Loyola University Chicago seniors Beatriz Santos (Computer Science '27) and Cordelia De la Fuente (Neuroscience '27) set out to change that.
Their project, Ribbon, uses machine learning to match patients with potentially suitable clinical trials, providing similarity scores to identify promising options. A 3D visualization reveals patterns and clusters across the clinical trial landscape, helping users explore relationships among studies and discover opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked. The platform also connects patients to a support hub where they can ask care teams questions and share experiences with others.
Over three months, Santos and De la Fuente developed Ribbon with guidance from a Pfizer mentor. Selected as finalists from a pool of more than 300 participants, they traveled to Pfizer's New York headquarters to demonstrate their platform before company leaders and teams from other universities.
Their innovation earned them fourth place in Pfizer's 2026 Digital & Technology Hackathon, alongside competitors from institutions including Harvard and Columbia.
The students' participation was supported by Timothy Classen, Loyola's Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Economics.