Introduction to Precision Medicine
Seoul National University Hospital has recently unveiled a clinical decision support system for precision medicine treatment. This system is designed to provide personalized treatment options for patients using artificial intelligence and big data.
Why It Matters
The SNUH POLARIS (Precision Oncology and Rare-Common Disease Supporter) is the first of its kind in South Korea that supports personalized treatment driven by AI and based on big clinical and genomic data. This system has the potential to revolutionize the way doctors diagnose and treat diseases, particularly cancer.
How It Works
The SNUH POLARIS system is powered by a large language model (LLM) that extracts, integrates, and refines previously scattered data on pathology, diagnostics, genomes, surgery, and treatment information from the hospital’s information system. It also incorporates the hospital’s next-generation sequencing cancer panel to quickly provide real-time comparison and analysis of big genomic data, informing cancer diagnosis at the point of care. The resulting insights are cross-validated by clinical and genomic experts.
Applications and Future Plans
The SNUH POLARIS system is initially being applied to cancer cases, but it will later be expanded to cover rare diseases and chronic diseases. The system was developed by a team of 30 departments and 87 multidisciplinary staff, demonstrating the hospital’s commitment to innovation and patient care.
The Larger Trend
Seoul National University Hospital has recently transitioned to a private cloud and SDN-based environment, simplifying and minimizing physical network configurations. The hospital has also adopted advanced encryption, multi-factor authentication, network and endpoint security, real-time monitoring, and disaster recovery systems to ensure the protection of patient data, operational continuity, and regulatory compliance. These measures have earned the hospital recognition for Stage 6 of the globally recognized HIMSS Infrastructure Adoption Model.
Big Data Projects and Collaborations
With a robust IT infrastructure in place, the hospital is prepared to pursue more big data projects. Recently, SNUH and its two affiliate hospitals in Bundang and Boramae have consolidated their common databases to enable network-wide studies and collaborations. The hospital has also introduced a medical LLM, which has shown promising results in a study, outperforming takers of the Korean Medical Licensing Examination and processing 50,000-word texts simultaneously.
Conclusion
The SNUH POLARIS system represents a significant step forward in precision medicine, enabling doctors to provide personalized treatment options for patients using AI and big data. As the hospital continues to develop and expand this system, it has the potential to improve patient outcomes and revolutionize the field of medicine.
FAQs
Q: What is the SNUH POLARIS system?
A: The SNUH POLARIS system is a clinical decision support system that uses artificial intelligence and big data to provide personalized treatment options for patients.
Q: What type of data does the system use?
A: The system uses clinical and genomic data, including pathology, diagnostics, genomes, surgery, and treatment information.
Q: What is the goal of the SNUH POLARIS system?
A: The goal of the system is to provide personalized treatment options for patients, particularly those with cancer, rare diseases, and chronic diseases.
Q: How does the system ensure patient data security?
A: The hospital has adopted advanced encryption, multi-factor authentication, network and endpoint security, real-time monitoring, and disaster recovery systems to ensure the protection of patient data.
