Westat Awarded AI Coordinating Center to Support NHLBI’s Precision Medicine Research

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has selected Westat to establish the Artificial Intelligence Coordinating Center (AI-CC), recognizing Westat’s extensive expertise in AI and ML. The AI-CC will serve as a central hub for coordinating various research initiatives, bringing together AI and scientific experts to collaborate on innovative approaches to analyzing and interpreting the vast omics data resources available through the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program.

TOPMed, for which Westat serves as the Administrative Coordinating Center (ACC), integrates whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and other omics data (e.g., metabolic profiles, epigenomics, protein and RNA expression patterns) with molecular, behavioral, imaging, environmental, and clinical data from large, well-characterized cohorts. This comprehensive dataset supports precision medicine by providing insights tailored to individuals’ unique genetic and environmental backgrounds.

As the AI-CC for NHLBI Westat will:

• Enhance data integration and analysis: Apply advanced AI and ML techniques to integrate and analyze diverse datasets, providing deeper insights into biological processes.
• Promote collaborative research: Foster collaboration among AI and scientific experts to develop innovative solutions for analyzing TOPMed data.
• Improve health outcomes: Apply AI-driven insights to identify sex and gender-related differences in health outcomes, leading to more effective medical interventions.
• Support broader NHLBI research: Extend AI applications to other NHLBI research areas, such as imaging and omics data in radiomics and radiogenomics, to advance the understanding of chronic lung diseases like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Westat’s Clinical Research Practice is well-positioned to implement and operate the AI-CC, leveraging its strong team of AI and ML experts, established processes, and familiarity with TOPMed data.

“Our expertise in AI and ML methods, knowledge of multi-omics health data, and experience in managing large-scale biomedical research projects like TOPMed, uniquely positions us to lead the AI-CC,” notes Kevin Wilson, PhD, a Vice President in the Clinical Research Practice.“ We are excited to bring our multidisciplinary approach and apply our advanced analytical techniques to TOPMed data to improve research outcomes.”

Sunitha Mathew, MS, who heads Westat’s Clinical Research Practice, stated, “Our experience with the TOPMed ACC and the OTA mechanism allows us to efficiently and effectively leverage existing infrastructure and procedures for soliciting, supporting, and monitoring research. As the TOPMed ACC, we bring hands-on experience with TOPMed data access, availability, and structure.”

In addition to the AI-CC, Westat supports other NHLBI Coordinating Centers, including the Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study IV–Pediatric (REDS-IV-P) DCC, the Maternal Morbidity and Mortality (3M) ACC, and the Community Engagement Technical Assistance Center (CETAC)/Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) CC.