BIG DATA HOLDS BIG PROMISE FOR CANADA’ S HEALTHCARE
It’s estimated that by 2020, there will be more than 50 billion smart-connected devices generating, analyzing and sharing information. As these devices produce staggering amounts of data, and as health information becomes increasingly digitized, massive data sets— referred to as “big data” — will be created, and have the potential to revolutionize health care.
From predicting where and when the next outbreak of diseases like Zika or Ebola will occur to uncovering new treatments for Alzheimer’s or pinpointing the gene for breast cancer, big data is going to have a huge impact on our lives as it transforms how healthcare decisions are made.
Tom Mikkelson, president and scientific director of the Ontario Brain Institute, is at the forefront of using big data to accelerate medical research in the field of neuroscience. The organization has launched an advanced data informatics and analytics platform— called Brain-CODE— that contains a massive amount of previously unshared, anonymous patient data. Mikkelson believes that data-driven insights could hold the key to identifying risk factors and potential cures for neurological disorders such as epilepsy, dementia, cerebral palsy and depression.
As data scientists analyze massive sets of previously disorganized and disconnected medical information, Mikkelson says patterns are emerging that give clinicians a much clearer picture of which factors exacerbate an illness, and what treatments are themost effective.
“Big data is a discovery tool that allows us to cross and compare through several domains, such as medical records and genomics,” says Mikkelson. “For example, we’ve seen that managing blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking history and sleep apnea can lower the chance of stroke. It can also decrease incidences of dementia by 10 to 15 per cent. The upside is tremendous.”
Researchers are also turning to big data to help them discover more effective treatments and potential cures for Canada’s leading cause of death: cancer.
When the first human genome was sequenced in 2003, it unlocked the possibility of mapping the genes that predispose certain people to certain illnesses. Marc LePage, president and chief executive officer of Genome Canada, believes that in the near future patients will be able to see their doctor, give a few drops of blood for analysis and find out if they are at risk of developing certain types of cancer and, if so, which drugs will be most effective for them.
But the incredible advancements enabled by big data are not entirely off in the future— breakthroughs are already happening today. One study conducted by Laval University in Quebec crossreferenced the genomes of 100,000 breast cancer patients in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom to find 49 new genetic markers for breast cancer.
“The bigger the data sets, the bigger the statistical power and the more the patterns become obvious,” says LePage.
As more and more health information is being generated and shared, patient privacy has rightly become a major topic of discussion around big data.
LePage has found in his experience that patients feel empowered by participating in research, particularly in the area of rare diseases. “Generally, families who have struggled with illness want to participate and give back,” he says. “In the end, it helps the health-care system devote more attention to those who need it, because there will be a clearer picture of who is vulnerable to these illnesses.”
According to PamSnively, chief data and trust officer at Telus, big data’s benefit to Canadians can only be realized when patients’ privacy and security are fully protected. She says that Canadians already benefit from someof themost stringent privacy laws in the world but she urges organizations to continuously improve their privacy safeguards and governance programs.
“When it comes to utilizing big data, privacy must be integrated right into its design. Big data’s potential lies in mass trends and patterns, so personal information is unnecessary,” she says. “Best practices such as de-identifying and aggregating the data ensure that valuable insights can be drawn while patient privacy is fully protected.”
Snively believes that as organizations earn and maintain the public’s trust, the potential for big data grows. “The key is tomove forward in a way that is mindful and protective of Canadians’ privacy,” she says. “If people feel safe and secure sharing their data in these environments, then we will have tremendous potential to vastly improve health-care delivery and save lives.”