WASHINGTON and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July
19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) and IBM Watson Health (NYSE:
IBM) announced the extension of a public-private partnership
to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to help interpret cancer data
in the treatment of Veteran patients.
First announced two years ago as part of the National Cancer
Moonshot Initiative, VA oncologists have now used IBM Watson for
Genomics technology to support precision oncology care for more
than 2,700 Veterans with cancer.
Precision oncology is the practice of biologically directed
cancer care. For example, the mutations in a cancer's genome (the
cancer's DNA) can significantly impact the treatment options
available to treat that cancer and the likely outcomes after
treatment. By knowing the cancer genome, oncologists and patients
are able to choose therapies that specifically target the patient's
cancer.
VA's precision oncology program primarily supports stage 4
cancer patients who have exhausted other treatment options. The
partnership extension with IBM will enable VA oncologists to
continue using Watson for Genomics through at least June 2019.
"Our mission with VA's precision oncology program is to bring
the most advanced treatment opportunities to Veterans, in hopes of
giving our nation's heroes better treatments through these
breakthroughs," said Acting VA Secretary Peter O'Rourke. "We look forward to continuing
this strategic partnership to assist VA in providing the best care
for our Veterans."
VA treats 3.5 percent of the nation's cancer patients — the
largest group of cancer patients within any one health-care group.
In order to bring precision oncology advances to this large group
of patients, with equal access available anywhere in the country,
VA established a central "hub" in Durham,
North Carolina.
In this facility, a small group of oncologists and pathologists
receive tumor samples from patients nationwide and sequence the
tumor DNA. They then use AI — the ability of a computer program or
a machine to think and learn — to help interpret the genomic data,
identifying relevant mutations and potential therapeutic options
that target those mutations.
More than one-third of the patients who have benefited from VA's
precision oncology program are Veterans from rural areas where it
has traditionally been difficult to deliver cutting-edge medical
breakthroughs.
"VA is leading the nation to scale and spread the delivery of
high quality precision oncology care, one Veteran at a time," said
Dr. Kyu Rhee, chief health officer
for IBM Watson Health. "It is incredibly challenging to read,
understand and stay up-to-date with the breadth and depth of
medical literature and link them to relevant mutations for
personalized cancer treatments. This is where AI can play an
important role in helping to scale precision oncology, as
demonstrated in our work with VA, the largest integrated health
system in the U.S."
For more information about the VA's precision oncology program,
visit https://www.research.va.gov/pubs/varqu/spring2016/4.cfm.
Media Contact:
Christine Douglass
Media Relations, IBM Watson Health
cgdouglass@us.ibm.com
(415) 535-4479
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SOURCE IBM