Dr. Steven Alberts

Editor's note: This story is written by Robert Sobotka, 75. In 2016, he was diagnosed with a mass on pancreas and multiple tumors in his ...

ROCHESTER, Minnesota: Mayo Clinic e IBM (NYSE: IBM) anunciaron sus planes de encomendar al sistema cognitivo computacional de IBM, conocido como Watson, el proceso de cotejar más rápidamente a pacientes con ensayos clínicos adecuados, empezando por estudios sobre el cáncer. La fase actualmente en curso es la prueba de conceptos. “En un área como el cáncer, donde el tiempo es fundamental, la velocidad y exactitud del sistema Watson permitirá desarrollar más eficientemente un plan de tratamiento personalizado para ofrecer al paciente la atención exacta que requiere”, comenta el Dr. Steven Alberts, director de oncología médica en Mayo Clinic. Los científicos esperan que la mayor velocidad también permita el aceleramiento de nuevos descubrimientos.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced plans to pilot Watson, the IBM cognitive computer, to match patients more quickly with appropriate clinical trials, beginning with research studies in cancer. A proof-of-concept phase is currently underway. “In an area like cancer —where time is of the essence — the speed and accuracy that Watson offers will allow us to develop an individualized treatment plan more efficiently so we can deliver exactly the care that the patient needs,” says Steven Alberts, M.D., chair of medical oncology at Mayo Clinic.   Researchers hope the increased speed also will speed new discoveries. Clinical trials provide patients with access to new and emerging treatments, yet enrolling participants in trials is one of the more difficult parts of clinical research. Currently it is done manually, with clinical coordinators sorting through patient records and conditions, trying to match them with the requirements of a given study protocol. At any given time, Mayo Clinic is conducting over 8,000 human studies in addition to the 170,000 that are ongoing worldwide. Watson’s cognitive computing ability will help sift through available Mayo clinical trials and ensure that more patients are accurately and consistently matched with promising clinical trial options.