San Francisco-based company this week Komodo Health — which has a medical map that collects de-identified patient data from hundreds of sources — announced a partnership with the nonprofit Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.Through partnerships, the 50 organizations of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Rare as a network will gain access to Komodo’s medical mapping technology, which they expect will enable the network to detect diagnoses earlier, increase the speed of research, and close current gaps in care.
Historically, patients with rare diseases have been difficult to track and analyze. However, the company believes that its healthcare map, combined with artificial intelligence and analytics, has the potential to close that gap for a more complete picture of these patient populations.
Specifically, Komodo’s database includes de-identified healthcare data for more than 330 million patients. When combined with analytics and artificial intelligence, this healthcare map can provide insights into populations based on a variety of factors, from demographics to disease stage to geographic location, ultimately identifying rare disease patients and potential corresponding providers. Hopefully, therefore, this will support early diagnosis so that patients can receive treatment.
“Our partnership with CZI’s Rare as One Network provides us with a unique opportunity to empower more than 50 patient-led organizations with data-driven software and intelligence that enhances their work to accelerate research, unlock treatments and cures for rare diseases,” said Web Sun, president and co-founder of Komodo Health, in a press release. “Komodo will now provide these advocacy groups with the critical insights they need to gain a deeper understanding of patient behavior and care patterns, and to deliver breakthroughs to patients faster.”
The partnership will allow the 50 organizations of CZI’s Rare as One Network to use Komodo’s technology for a variety of purposes. The technology will support patient advocacy leaders in organizations to match patients with appropriate researchers and healthcare providers, analyze demographic differences, and pay attention to patient populations. Therefore, they hope to use the technology to gain a more complete understanding of the diagnostic process for patients with rare diseases and to adjust care to shorten the time to successful treatment.
“We are excited to support Rare As One Network organizations as they leverage Komodo’s software to address unsolved problems in their disease areas,” said Heidi Bjornson-Pennell, CZI Rare As One Program Manager, in a press release. “We believe in the power of data and technology to unearth the key insights needed to address the unmet needs of these patient communities.”
Photo: JuSun, Getty Images
