Pathway Genomics Will Use Watson Supercomputer to Analyze Test Results for Consumers

Eight years ago, IBM supercomputer Watson gained global fame for eviscerating two legendary “Jeopardy!” contestants. Now, it will assist Pathway Genomics in the more benign task of drawing consumers to a pending wellness smartphone app.

Watson will crunch information obtained by Pathway through its FIT test, a $159 assay that provides a genetic “fitness profile” for patients looking to gain insights in how to better manage their weight, lifestyle, and in some instances, improve control of their diabetes. It analyzes 75 different genetic markers related to weight, metabolism and other indicators of overall health and fitness. Although the test is technically not offered directly to consumers, they can order it online and have it requisitioned by a Pathway-affiliated physician. Pathway also provides consultations with dietitians for those looking to make changes in what they consume.

But according to Pathway officials, the use of Watson through a new app known as OME will further analyze test results and imbue them with more granularity and clarity. For example, a patient might have a genetic variation specific to how sated they feel depending on what kinds of foods they eat, or they metabolize a specific fat more efficiently. Watson would be able to provide this kind of analysis.

“With access to health information via mobile Internet, today’s consumers are taking charge of their health and well being more than ever before. But at the same time they are overwhelmed with understanding and interpreting the massive amounts of information that specifically impacts their health and well-being,” said Michael Nova, M.D., Pathway’s chief innovation officer in a statement. “With Watson cognitive computing leveraged by our technology we are able to deliver real-time, highly personalized insights to empower people to change unhealthy behaviors.”

Nova noted by email that Pathway “trained Watson on a proprietary corpus of basic medical, nutritional, exercise, wellness, genetics, and many other health related datasets. The corpus/Watson will then be used (in part with our own artificial intelligence) to answer or push personalized content to the user via the OME app.”

He added that for the moment, the use of the OME app in conjunction with the FIT test will likely not incur any additional charges. The app is currently in beta stage and limited in its availability, but likely will be widely available by the third quarter of this year, according to Nova.

“We have many different channel opportunities that have expressed interest in offering the OME service, including retail clinics,” Nova said.

Pathway has other reasons to bring Watson in to analyze its test data aside from providing patients with more actionable data. The company noted that the bioinformatics market is expected to reach a value of nearly $13 billion by the end of the decade, while the mobile health market will top $59 billion. And Watson is much more of a household name–and therefore a more reliable marketing tool–than the Pathway name alone.

Peter Francis, president of Clinical Laboratory Sales Training, a Maryland-based consulting firm, said the move was far more than a marketing gimmick.

“Affiliating with IBM’s Watson technology provides even more credence that Pathway Genomics is at the cutting edge of personalized wellness,” Francis said. “(The company’s) vision must be applauded for not only diving deep into the precision medicine world by offering state-of-the-art assays, but also for aligning state-ofthe- art information methodologies to enable the general public to use the data to improve their health.

Takeaway: Pathway Genomics will take personal health and the related assays a step further by having a computer system that is a household name to analyze the results.