Cleveland Clinic, IBM and the Hartree Centre use AI and big data in leading-edge studies of epilepsy and hospital care
IBM Quantum System One at Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland Clinic)
Cleveland Clinic, IBM, and the Hartree Centre have announced an innovative collaboration to use artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing to advance healthcare and biomedical science.
“This partnership will play an important role in advancing research into the use of cutting-edge computation in healthcare and life sciences,” said Alessandro Curioni, IBM Fellow and Director, IBM Research Zurich. “We look forward to working with researchers from Cleveland Clinic London and the Hartree Centre to explore promising areas of discovery across quantum computing, AI, and beyond.”
Two clinical research projects mark the start of the collaboration. The primary investigators for each study include Lara Jehi, MD, MHCDS, chief research information officer at Cleveland Clinic, and Charles Knowles, PhD, chief academic officer at Cleveland Clinic London. Both projects include teams from IBM and Hartree Centre. Hartree National Centre for Digital Innovation provides additional support.
The project led by Dr. Jehi will use quantum computing with large-scale data sets to improve the efficacy of different treatments for epilepsy. The key goal: uncover novel biomarkers in epilepsy patients in order to personalize treatment plans and improve surgical outcomes.
Epilepsy is the most common, chronic, noncommunicable brain disease. It affects more than 60 million patients worldwide. Close to 33% of patients find only limited relief from anti-seizure medications. For many, brain surgery offers the best chance for a cure.
The project led by Dr. Knowles will use AI to quantify the impact of care on patients at Cleveland Clinic London. Researchers from IBM, Hartree Centre, and Cleveland Clinic will explore clinical and advanced imaging data from Cleveland Clinic London BioResource: a repository for longitudinal data collection and analysis. The key goal: develop larger AI models, capable of integrating data from multiple pathologies, to improve diagnoses and patient care.
What It Means to Ohio
Discovery Accelerator, the strategic partnership of Cleveland Clinic and IBM, led to the 2023 installation of IBM Quantum System One at Cleveland Clinic: the first quantum computer in the world dedicated to healthcare research. Dr. Jehi’s project is made possible by this partnership.
Dr. Jehi was a featured speaker on June 6 at the Economist’s Commercializing Quantum Global 2024 conference in London. Her project on the discovery of biomarkers of epilepsy and brain surgery outcomes exemplifies how to use quantum computing to advance precision medicine.
What They’re Saying
“This international collaboration brings together a multidisciplinary team of scientists, clinical researchers, and physicians from across industry, government, and healthcare,” said Dr. Jehi. “The research teams will leverage high performance and quantum computing to advance life sciences, with the goal of improving healthcare and accelerating new treatments for patients around the world. Cleveland Clinic London will be a central link between innovative clinical care in the UK and Cleveland Clinic’s global footprint.”
