Loyola’s Dr. Dligach Co-Leads $1M AI Project to Simplify Clinical Trial Consent

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, and Loyola University have received a $1,052,296, four-year grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to pioneer the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for improving patients’ understanding of informed consent in clinical trials. Led by Dr. Danielle Bitterman (Harvard) and Dr. Dmitriy Dligach (Loyola), the project will investigate how large language models (LLMs)—the same type of AI powering advanced chatbots—can help patients better understand the purpose, risks, and benefits of trial participation.

The team will develop and test AI tools that transform dense trial documents into accessible plain-language summaries and interactive chatbot conversations, while ensuring safety, ethics, and accuracy through a novel “Constitutional AI” approach.

The Loyola University portion totals $291,251 over four years and supports Dr. Dligach’s team, which includes a new PhD student, Arsalan Yaghoubi. By involving cancer patients, trialists, and research staff in the design process, the project aims to create scalable, patient-centered tools that improve health literacy, promote equitable trial participation, and strengthen trust between patients and the research community. Ultimately, the work has the potential to broaden access to clinical trials, enhance retention, and reduce disparities in trial enrollment.