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Sema4 and GNS Healthcare Announce Collaboration Using REFS™ Causal Machine Learning and Simulation AI Platform
STAMFORD, CT, UNITED STATES - Jun 27, 2017 - Sema4, an interdisciplinary health information company with expertise in collecting diverse data, building computational models of disease and unlocking solutions to disease, today announced it is leveraging GNS Healthcares (GNS), REFS (Reverse Engineering and Forward Simulation) causal machine learning and simulation platform to further aid Sema4 in the discovery and development of novel disease therapies and the application of these drugs in patient care.
Sema4 CEO Eric Schadt, PhD, and his team are experts in designing studies to collect the data required to model disease and interpreting these models to identify targets for disease treatments. Through close partnerships, Sema4 also brings to bear the clinical expertise and patient data required for the modeling work. GNS, a leading precision medicine company, is a pioneer in the application of causal machine learning technology to answer healthcares most pressing questions. Their REFS platform, complementary to Sema4s assets, turns large and diverse patient data streams into mechanistic computer models that when simulated reveal new pathways, drug targets and diagnostic markers that can lead to new drugs that are better matched to individual patients.
Sema4 and GNS will collaborate to maximize various data resources such as longitudinal EMR records, next generation sequencing, proteomics, and other omic data. The REFS technology uses a unique hypothesis-free approach that reverse-engineers models of causal biological mechanisms from large-scale data streams, and then simulates interventions into those models to unravel the hidden drivers of diseases and drug response, patient by patient.
This is an exciting collaboration that will accelerate our understanding of disease mechanisms, said Dr. Schadt, who has published several hundred papers in the area of the computational modeling of complex biological systems in cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, and other diseases. The ultimate goal in combining GNS Healthcares unique technology with Sema4s extensive disease modeling experience and growing volume of data is the development of individualized and life-saving treatments for patients across many diseases.
This collaboration will first focus in cardiovascular disease, where Sema4 will work with GNS to use REFS to discover underlying drivers of the disease. With these insights, the parties will be able to identify which existing treatments may ameliorate cardiovascular disease, and identify opportunities for the research and development of next-generation treatments.
GNS collaboration with Sema4 to leverage its REFS technology shines a light on the drivers of cardiovascular disease, and has the potential to rapidly accelerate the discovery of transformative therapeutics, said Iya Khalil, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of GNS Healthcare. Our unique causal machine learning and simulation technology gives clinicians and researchers the power to simulate billions of what-if interventions, making complex disease systems understandable, and brings the promise of precision medicine within reach of patients everywhere.
About Sema4
Sema4 is an interdisciplinary health information company that is committed to providing open access to data and creating practical tools that help patients, clinicians, and researchers better predict health trajectories. Formerly the Mount Sinai Genetic Testing Lab at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Sema4 is constructing a more comprehensive picture of health by combining a wealth of clinical experience that informs the answers that patients and providers are seeking, the world-class academic research that illuminates new directions, and the pioneering information science that puts all the pieces together. And we are sharing the data so each patients journey helps everyone complete the greater picture.
For more information, please visit www.sema4genomics.com and connect with Sema4 on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
About GNS Healthcare
GNS Healthcare applies causal machine learning and simulation technology to predict which treatments will work for which patients, improving individual patient outcomes and the health of populations, while reducing the total cost of care. The GNS technology is based on its MeasureBase data integration architecture and patented REFS (Reverse Engineering and Forward Simulation) causal inference and simulation engine. Health plans, bio-pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers, foundations, academic medical centers, and self-insured employers use GNS cloud-based solutions to solve pressing and costly problems including those surrounding metabolic syndrome, medication adherence, end-of-life care, preterm birth, personalized care pathways in specialty care, oncology, and diabetes, new drug target discovery, patient stratification in clinical trials, and more. GNS solutions focus on reducing adverse events, slowing disease progression, and improving therapeutic effectiveness through precision matching that maximizes impact on individual patient health outcomes while reducing wasteful spending and downstream medical costs. For more information, visit: www.gnshealthcare.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Sema4
Rose A. Lewis
Director, Public Relations
Media Contact
GNS Healthcare
Lauren Kannry
Public Relations
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