NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) and
JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D)
research, today announced a new collaboration to develop and apply
machine learning methods to analyze years of global T1D research
data and identify factors leading to the onset of T1D in
children.
T1D affects approximately 1.25 million Americans, and it
currently does not have a cure. This research collaboration is
expected to create an entry point for T1D in the field of precision
medicine, by combining JDRF's connections to research teams around
the globe and its subject matter expertise in T1D research with the
technical capability and computing power of IBM.
"At JDRF, we are absolutely committed to seeing a world without
type 1 diabetes, and with this partnership, we're adding some of
the most advanced computing power in the world to our mission,"
said Derek Rapp, JDRF President and
CEO. "JDRF supports researchers all over the world, but never
before have we been able to analyze their data comprehensively, in
a way that can tell us why some children who are at risk get T1D
and others do not. IBM's analysis of the existing data could open
the door to understanding the risk factors of T1D in a whole new
way, and to one day finding a way to prevent T1D altogether."
IBM scientists will look across at least three different data
sets and apply machine learning algorithms to help find patterns
and factors at play, with the goal of identifying ways that could
delay or prevent T1D in children. In order to match variables
and data formats and compare the differing data sets, the
scientists plan to leverage previously collected data from global
research projects. Data analysis will explore the inclusion of
genetic, familial, autoantibody and other variables to create a
foundational set of features that is common to all data sets. The
models that will be produced will quantify the risk for T1D from
the combined dataset using this foundational set of features. As a
result, JDRF will be in a better position to identify top
predictive risk factors for T1D, cluster patients based on top risk
factors, and explore a number of data-driven models for predicting
onset.
"Nearly 40,000 new cases of type 1 diabetes will be diagnosed in
the U.S. this year. And each new patient creates new records and
new data points that, if leveraged, could provide additional
understanding of the disease," says Jianying Hu, Senior Manager and Program
Director, Center for Computational Health at IBM Research. "The
deep expertise our team has in artificial intelligence applied to
healthcare data makes us uniquely positioned to help JDRF unlock
the insights hidden in this massive data set and advance the field
of precision medicine towards the prevention and management of
diabetes."
Future phases of the collaboration may consist of furthering the
analysis of big data toward the goal of better understanding causes
of T1D. They may also consist of analyzing more complex datasets,
such as microbiome and genomics or transcriptomics data. Finally,
but no less importantly, the knowledge gained through these efforts
could also help JDRF in its pursuit of a cure for people with
T1D.
ABOUT JDRF
JDRF is the leading global organization
funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Our mission is to
accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat
T1D and its complications. To accomplish this, JDRF has invested
more than $2 billion in research
funding since our inception. We are an organization built on a
grassroots model of people connecting in their local communities,
collaborating regionally for efficiency and broader fundraising
impact, and uniting on a national stage to pool resources, passion,
and energy. We collaborate with academic institutions,
policymakers, and corporate and industry partners to develop and
deliver a pipeline of innovative therapies to people living with
T1D. Our staff and volunteers throughout the United States and our six international
affiliates are dedicated to advocacy, community engagement and our
vision of a world without T1D. For more information, please visit
jdrf.org or follow us on Twitter: @JDRF.
ABOUT IBM RESEARCH
For more than seven decades, IBM
Research has defined the future of information technology with more
than 3,000 researchers in 12 labs located across six continents.
Scientists from IBM Research have produced six Nobel Laureates, 10
U.S. National Medals of Technology, five U.S. National Medals of
Science, six Turing Awards, 19 inductees in the National Academy of
Sciences and 20 inductees into the U.S. National Inventors Hall of
Fame. For more information about IBM Research, visit
www.ibm.com/research.
ABOUT TYPE 1 DIABETES
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an
autoimmune disease in which a person's pancreas stops producing
insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food. It
occurs when the body's immune system attacks and destroys the
insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, called beta cells. While
its causes are not yet entirely understood, scientists believe that
both genetic factors and environmental triggers are involved. Its
onset has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle. There is nothing
you can do to prevent T1D, and — at present — nothing you can do to
get rid of it.
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SOURCE JDRF