How can AI and scientific experts collaborate on innovative health approaches?

Challenge

The Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Program is part of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI’s) broader precision medicine initiative that aims to improve the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) disorders through tailored and individualized disease treatments. The TOPMed program generates whole genome sequencing (WGS) and other –omics data and integrates them with molecular, behavioral, imaging, environmental, and clinical data to better understand the biological processes that underlie HLBS disorders.

NHLBI’s TOPMed program aims to leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to accelerate the understanding of HLBS disorders. By utilizing the genomic data resources available through TOPMed and the computing infrastructure of BioData Catalyst (BDC), researchers will be able to develop advanced AI methods to analyze complex data and identify patterns that may lead to new insights and potential innovations for precision medicine. The initiative will bring together AI/ML and other multidisciplinary experts to collaborate on innovative approaches to analyze and interpret TOPMed and other large data sources.  

Solutions

The NHLBI is establishing the Artificial Intelligence—Coordinating Center (AI-CC) to serve as a central hub for coordinating research projects and bringing together AI and scientific experts to collaborate on innovative approaches to analyze and interpret omics data on HLBS disorders. Additionally, the AI-CC may support other areas of NHLBI’s research interest such as the use of AI on imaging and omics data in the areas of radiomics and radiogenomics to advance the understanding of chronic lung disease, especially idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Westat will implement and operate the AI-CC due to the significant efficiencies that will be gained from our role as the TOPMed Administrative Coordinating Center (ACC).

As the AI-CC for NHLBI Westat will:

• Enhance data integration and analysis:  Fund projects to 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:  Fund projects to apply AI-driven insights to identify indicators for health outcomes in HLBS disorders, 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.

Results

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 omics data resources available through the TOPMed-program and other large datasets.