News Release [PDF]
Contact:
Dr. Christine Fitzpatrick, Indiana University
317.278.1818 - cfitzpat@iu.edu
Mr. Sean Ryan, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne
260.399.1662 - ryans@ipfw.edu
Mr. Robert Young, PearlDiver Technologies
260.469.4161 - rob@pearldiverinc.com
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (June 22, 2009) – PearlDiver Technologies Inc., creator of what is believed to be the largest, fully HIPAA-compliant, publicly available and searchable database of patient records in the nation, will use IU’s Big Red supercomputer for advanced data analysis. PearlDiver’s mission is to improve the ways surgeons, product manufacturers, hospitals and regulators connect with and utilize healthcare related information, and Big Red’s computational power will analyze outcomes from millions of patients to condense findings into information readily available to medical providers and policy makers.
Benjamin Young, PearlDiver president and co-founder, said, “As the datasets we use grow exponentially larger, we need to focus more and more computer power on these complicated questions. Access to the Big Red supercomputer will allow us to expand our analysis in ways we couldn’t have imagined just a few months ago and will allow us to provide more accurate and timely answers.”
PearlDiver’s use of Big Red is enabled by the Indiana Initiative for Economic Development (IIED), a program that fosters technology development and job growth in the state of Indiana. The IIED is a partnership involving the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Indiana University, Purdue University, and IBM, Inc. Indiana University’s activities as part of the IIED are now coordinated through the newly formed Pervasive Technology Institute at IU.
Craig Stewart, executive director of the Pervasive Technology Institute and IU associate dean for research technologies, said, “This project demonstrates the value that the IEDC, IU, and Purdue are adding to our state’s economy. There are just two supercomputer centers in the US that are able to handle patient data in a HIPAA-compliant manner – IU is one of the two. Thanks to state support we are able to aid an up-and-coming business in Indiana with this very unusual combination of supercomputers and HIPAA compliance. Aiding the Indiana economy is a key goal for the Pervasive Technology Institute.”
Sean Ryan, director of engagement at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), who helped connect PearlDiver with the IIED, said, “Programs like the IIED can bring competitive advantage to regional businesses. PearlDiver is the first northeast Indiana small business to partner with IU in the IIED and is a success story for Indiana.”
About the Indiana Initiative for Economic Development (IIED)
The Indiana Initiative for Economic Development (IIED), http://rtinfo.indiana.edu/IIED, is a partnership program intended to encourage Indiana industries that have the potential to help advance the technological growth of Indiana. Specifically, it provides high performance computing resources and expertise to Indiana companies whose projects show the promise of building Indiana’s competitiveness in the high-tech arena by creating new technology-related jobs in Indiana, new technology-related companies, or new technologies themselves. The Initiative is a partnership among IBM, Indiana University, Purdue University, and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). Computing resources dedicated to this Initiative are jointly owned by Indiana University and Purdue University, and housed on IU's Bloomington campus. The resources are configured for maximum flexibility, allowing each University to develop industry partnerships independently or in a collaborative effort.
About the Office of Engagement, IPFW
The Office of Engagement is a four-way partnership between the business community (as represented by the Northeast Indiana Corporate Council, Northeast Indiana WorkOne and the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center) and three universities - IPFW, Purdue University and Indiana University. The purpose of the office is to enhance the competitiveness of regional businesses and drive economic and workforce development initiatives by providing a direct link to/with university resources in the following areas: research capabilities; intellectual property (IU and Purdue Licensing Opportunities); technical assistance; internships, co-operative education, and student hiring; workforce development programs; corporate training opportunities; and seminars, outreach and networking events.
About PearlDiver
PearlDiver Technologies Inc. aggregates medical information from a wide variety of sources including private and public payors, hospitals, surgery centers and specialty physician practices, PubMed, manufacturers and others to create a seamless and timely flow of searchable intelligence about medical products in the marketplace, patient outcomes, adverse events, procedure charges, and comparative effectiveness for a wide variety of patient populations. PearlDiver organizes and cross-references data from many sources in order to create valuable longitudinal patient, product and market tracking data. Customers include surgeons, hospital administrators, product manufacturers, analysts, regulators and other key healthcare constituencies. PearlDiver’s data and data tools are available by subscription, through its consulting or Strategic Advisory services, and, to a certain extent, for free, at www.pearldiverinc.com.
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