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Precision Medicine Platform accelerates data sharing and collaboration in scientific research

May 25, 2021


A new alliance of the American Heart Association’s Precision Medicine Platform with Hitachi Vantara facilitates rapid, accurate scientific data research in health care

DALLAS and SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 25 2021 – Efficient, rapid data management and analysis are critical to finding effective health care solutions aimed at improving patient outcomes. A new alliance between the American Heart Association’s Precision Medicine Platform and Hitachi Vantara, the digital infrastructure, data management, and digital solutions subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), will make the Association’s Precision Medicine Platform even more accessible to healthcare organizations for fast, efficient supercomputing data analysis research, even from a laptop computer.

The Precision Medicine Platform is a cloud-based digital solution with secure, private workspaces equipped for data management and analysis, including tools for machine learning and artificial intelligence. With flexible choices for software and ready-to-run data analysis tools, the Precision Medicine Platform is ready to run at a fraction of the cost of traditional data analysis platforms.

The Institute for Precision Cardiovascular Medicine at the American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary organization dedicated to a world of longer, healthier lives, has funded more than 90 data scientists, engineers and usability experts whose work was instrumental in making the Precision Medicine Platform a game changer in the field.

“Moving data science and healthcare forward is at the heart of everything we do at the American Heart Association,“ said Jennifer Hall, Ph.D., chief of data science and director of the Institute for Precision Cardiovascular Medicine for the American Heart Association. “The Precision Medicine Platform provides cutting-edge solutions for data management and opens data access and analysis to all researchers, everywhere, which can help bring healthcare solutions to the general public.”

The applications outlined below resulted from work performed by users on the Precision Medicine Platform and included data screening, clinical decision support and improved allocation of medical resources.

  • Applied artificial intelligence to patient angiograms to determine which patients were in greatest need of a coronary stent.
  • Re-purposed 3 million knee MRI images in order to better predict artery blockage and cardiovascular risk. The algorithm reduced the time to process the MRI images from 4 hours to 2 minutes.
    Fun fact: The algorithm used to localize arteries within MRI slices was the same as that used for detecting objects like cars on the highway.

“The American Heart Association and Hitachi Vantara bring together the best of medicine, science and technology to enable data-driven outcomes towards society’s most difficult medical challenges,” said Paul Watson, vice president, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Hitachi Vantara. “Together, we will dramatically shift the industry standard for data sharing and research collaboration.”

Additional Resources

Hitachi Vantara LLC is authorized to sell licenses of the American Heart Association’s Precision Medicine Platform.

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.orgFacebookTwitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

About Hitachi Vantara

Hitachi Vantara, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., guides our customers from what's now to what's next by solving their digital challenges. Working alongside each customer, we apply our unmatched industrial and digital capabilities to their data and applications to benefit both business and society. More than 80% of the Fortune 100 trust Hitachi Vantara to help them develop new revenue streams, unlock competitive advantages, lower costs, enhance customer experiences, and deliver social and environmental value. Visit us at www.hitachivantara.com.

Connect with Hitachi Vantara

Media Contact for the American Heart Association:

For Media Inquiries and AHA/ASA Expert Perspective: 214-706-1173
Pamela Kreigh: 214-706-1434 | Pamela.Kreigh@heart.org
For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)
heart.org and stroke.org

Media Contact for Hitachi Vantara:
John Choi
Hitachi Vantara
john.choi@hitachivantara.com
+1 (408) 386-5512

Matt Peterson
Weber Shandwick for Hitachi Vantara
MPeterson@webershandwick.com
+1 (206) 225-3180