Dozens of healthcare systems representing millions of patients in the United States are partnering with the Truveta Genome Project, Regeneron Genetics Center, and genomic sequencing company Illumina to sequence the exomes of their first ten million volunteers.
As part of what may be the largest and most diverse sequencing project of genotypic and phenotypic information ever collected, the healthcare systems said in Truveta’s announcement Monday that their collaboration would help develop next-generation data analytics to advance diagnoses and improve efficacy. of clinical trials and advancing a more equitable future in healthcare.
“This is the database the world needs now,” Erik Wexler, president and CEO of Providence, said in a video statement accompanying the announcement.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
By working with 30 healthcare systems representing a diverse cross-section of U.S. patients, Truveta said the goal is to build a robust foundation for analytical insights that will serve population health management initiatives, drive the discovery of new treatments and therapies, and addressing barriers to health. equity.
A cast of prominent healthcare system leaders said the project focuses on discovering “the science of humanity.”
Through the initiative, healthcare facilities in the US will obtain patient consent to use biospecimens from laboratory tests linked to their de-identified electronic health records for de-identified genetic research, according to the announcement. They will send them to RGC for genetic sequencing and all anonymized information will be added to Truveta Data, which uses the Truveta Language Model.
The large-scale, multi-modal artificial intelligence model, built on Microsoft Azure, transforms billions of data points with normalization, Truveta said. The regulatory-level data is updated daily and is offered as a resource for biopharmaceutical and academic researchers working to accelerate AI-powered drug discovery, optimize clinical trials, and transform the way diseases are prevented, diagnosed, and cured.
The data could improve the efficiency of clinical trials by identifying patient populations most likely to respond to specific treatments, reducing costs and increasing success rates. Remaining biospecimens will also be stored to support future multi-omics sequencing by life science organizations studying exome data from populations, Truveta said.
“With nearly three million exomes sequenced at RGC to date, Regeneron scientists have already identified dozens of genetic-based drug targets for a wide range of conditions – including chronic liver disease, obesity, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders – leading to multiple clinical-stage treatments” , said Dr. Aris Baras, senior vice president at Regeneron and head of RGC, said in a statement.
“As we continue to scale our genomics initiatives, we look for more targets and medicines while expanding the potential impact of our research to optimize clinical trials and personalize healthcare,” he explains.
“We believe the cure for cancer can emerge from this valuable data,” which can drive personalized patient care and tailored treatments and create opportunities to prevent disease, Wexler said in the statement.
“In four years, we have enabled scientifically rigorous research based on data from more than 120 million patients to improve healthcare for all.”
“With this research into how genetic factors influence our health, based on tens of millions of data and by harnessing the power of AI, we can then deliver tailor-made treatments based on a patient’s unique genetic makeup,” added Advocate Health CEO Eugene Woods.
“In other words, we can help more people get and stay healthy.”
“Now with Truveta, we hope to deepen our understanding of the ways in which specific groups are uniquely affected by their environment or other factors and develop targeted approaches to prevent and treat disease,” said Wright Lassiter III, CEO of CommonSpirit Health .
Bob Riney, CEO of Henry Ford Health, noted that participation in the genome project underscores the health care system’s commitment to innovation, as well as “delivering the highest standard of care to those we serve.”
“The Truveta Genome Project has the potential to transform healthcare from treating disease to preventing disease, and we are excited to make this happen,” said Michael Dowling, CEO of Northwell Health.
THE BIG TREND
Fourteen major healthcare systems came together in 2021 to launch Truveta, the Seattle-based data-driven precision medicine and population health platform, to help mine existing data sets and gain new insights at scale.
“Today we have a unique opportunity to rebuild our nation’s health care system so that it is better, stronger and more responsive to the needs of everyone – especially vulnerable and underserved populations,” said Lloyd Dean, now CEO Emeritus of CommonSpirit. Health, said at the time.
Later that year, Truveta partnered with Microsoft to extend the reach of its population health analytics with Azure-based AI and security tools.
This latest venture builds on a previously announced strategic investment by 17 healthcare systems, Illumina and Regeneron, Truveta said.
ON THE RECORD
“The project allows each of us to contribute anonymously to dramatically accelerate progress in humanity’s science discovery, improve the health of our families and communities, and reduce healthcare costs,” said Terry Myerson, CEO and founder of Truveta, said in a statement. .
“This collaboration underscores our commitment to improving patient care and advancing value-based care initiatives, ultimately transforming how diseases are understood, prevented, diagnosed and cured,” said Jason Graefe, corporate vice president of ISV and digital natives for Microsoft Corp.
Andrea Fox is editor-in-chief of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.