Big Data to Help Cure Cancer

  Using big data technology may speed up discoveries needed to cure cancer. For example, according to Dr. David Agus, USC professor of medicine, speaking with Charlie Rose and others on the CBS news morning show, a recent big data study of ovarian cancer patients has shown that some of the patients that use beta blockers to treat their high blood pressure also enabled them to live four years longer than patients that did not use beta blockers.     This new discovery has led to a new clinical trial which will study the effect of using beta blockers to treat ovarian cancer. 

  Using big data to fight cancer is one of the cornerstones of Vice President Joe Biden’s Cure for Cancer Moonshot that he is championing. New information resulting from big data, will enable the use of individualized precision medicine concepts to cure peoples cancers. The hope is that this moonshot program will speed the progress in cancer research so that 10 years of work can be reduced to five years to bring cures to patients a lot sooner than is offered today.