IBM creates blockchain to share medical data

On January 11, 2017, IBM Corporation and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a collaboration to develop blockchain technology used to securely share medical data. This was reported by ComputerWorld.

FDA specialists and IBM Watson Health units will work to transfer patient data from a variety of sources, such as electronic medical records, clinical research, genomic databases, mobile devices, wearable electronics and IoT equipment. At the first stage, the partners will focus on information about cancer.

IBM creates blockchain to share medical data

The healthcare industry is undergoing significant changes due to the huge amount of different data generated. Blockchain technology provides a secure decentralized structure for data sharing that will accelerate innovation in the industry, says Shahram Ebadollahi, Chief Scientist at IBM Watson Health.

According to him, the creation of revolutionary medical solutions is possible only when researchers and health care institutions get access to complete information about patients. Blockchain is a technology that will allow organizations to work together in full confidence, ensuring the most transparent and secure data exchange, he added.

IBM and FDA cooperation also involves the study of new ways to use large amounts of heterogeneous data in the biomedical and medical industries. The creation of a reliable ecosystem in which data owners play the role of intermediaries in the exchange of information will make it possible to make new discoveries in health care and improve the health of the population, partners are sure.

IBM and the FDA entered into a two-year collaborative research agreement. The first results of the activity are planned to be presented in 2017.^[1]

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