The Toshiba Group announced on September 8 the establishment of the Toshiba Center for Big Data in Healthcare at the Science + Technology Park at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The goal of the new entity is “to further the potential of big data to predict and prevent illness.”
The Center will collaborate with the Johns Hopkins radiation oncology department to study treatment pathways and outcomes in head and neck and lung cancer patients. Its goal, according to Toshiba, is to create new technologies to monitor individual health and drive more precise, individualized patient care. Big data will be used to analyze a patient’s condition and compare it with the plans and outcomes of patients who have a similar anatomy, physiology, pathology, and history.
“From fitness and travel to marketing and retail, there are many applications in the public realm already using Big Data,” said Rich Mather, PhD, director, Clinical Programs, Toshiba Medical Research Institute USA Inc. “Toshiba recognizes the ability of big data to monitor individual health, and in the future, to support day-to-day clinical decision-making. With our collaboration at Johns Hopkins, we hope to create a new paradigm in medicine that transforms healthcare into a more efficient, cost-effective, and data-driven enterprise that will help to improve patient outcomes.”
Illustration: © Svanhorn4245 | Dreamstime.com – Big Data Photo
