IBM Watson unveiled a new chapter in its cancer research work, this time for genomic analysis at the World of Watson conference in Brooklyn this week. It will work with 14 institutions spanning research institutes to teaching hospitals to provide access to its data analysis tool.
Watson Genomic Analytics looks for variations in the full human genome and uses Watson’s cognitive capabilities to examine data sources such as treatment guidelines, research, clinical studies, journal articles and patient information, according to a company statement. It provides a list of medical literature relevant to the case with drugs that have been identified in the literature. The patient’s doctor reviews the information alongside underlying evidence to make more informed treatment decisions. Watson Genomic Analytics constantly gets smarter, as the system learns from patient data, the statement said.
In the initial phase of the precision medicine program, the 14 organizations will apply Watson to the DNA data of patients who battling cancer such as lymphoma, melanoma, pancreatic, ovarian, brain, lung, breast and colorectal cancer.
The move follows several collaborations with hospitals to pilot its data analysis technology for cancer treatment. For example, last year it worked with New York Genome Center in a genomic research initiative for glioblastomas, an aggressive, frequently malignant brain tumor that kills more than 13,000 people in the U.S. each year. The idea for the initiative was that by applying cognitive computing power to the massive amount of clinical data using the patient’s genomic data as a compass, IBM Watson’s technology could help clinicians develop personalized treatments for each patient.
Maine Center for Cancer Medicine and New York’s Westmed Medical Group also worked with Watson to teach it how to interpret clinical information to diagnose lung cancer.
In an entry on the IBM’s Building a Smarter Planet blog, Dr Lukas Wartman, a clinician and leukemia survivor at McDonnell Genome Institute, said it would start using the Watson Genomics solution with patients when traditional treatment options prove ineffective. It will also use the technology in clinical trials of new medications.
“Ultimately, if it proves to be successful, oncologists will be able to help a great number of patients with cancer who have run out of options and are running out of time,” he said.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
In another major collaboration, Epic said it plans to embed Watson’s cognitive computing technology into its advanced decision support tools.
The announcements at World of Watson continued the momentum triggered by IBM’s announcements at HIMSS.
Some of the other collaborations highlighted in the announcement include:
Welltok is working with helping Centura Health to give people with heart conditions personalized guidance to help manage and optimize their health through its CaféWell Concierge app. The app gives consumers relevant recommendations based on their health conditions, interests and goals.
Eskenazi Health, an Indianapolis based health system, is using an app developed by hc1.com for personalized patient care powered by IBM Watson. It analyzes patient interactions and changes future engagement based on personality insights. Eskenazi Health will use the app to add patients based on patient sentiment profiles.
A question-driven search engine for TED Talks library. The response will cue up the most relevant segments from videos. Below each clip, a timeline will show additional concepts that Watson found within the talk.
