IBM and JDRF, a New York City-based organization that funds Type 1 diabetes research, will apply machine learning algorithms to investigate existing Type 1 diabetes research datasets.
Under the partnership, IBM will develop algorithms to determine a child's risk of developing Type 1 diabetes based on genetic, familial and autoantibody factors. The organizations' goal is to "create an entry point for T1D in the field of precision medicine" by identifying predictive factors that might delay or prevent Type 1 diabetes onset in children, according to an IBM statement.
"Nearly 40,000 new cases of Type 1 diabetes will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year. And each new patient creates new records and new data points that, if leveraged, could provide additional understanding of the disease," said Jianying Hu, PhD, senior manager and program director of the center for computational health at IBM Research.