The startup firm Explorys is partnering with the Cleveland Clinic to develop a search engine product that will quickly analyze massive databases of patient records, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Stephen McHale, CEO of Explorys, said, "We're using the same technique in use by Google, Yahoo, Facebook and Amazon." He added that the technology removes patient identifiers from the data to comply with federal privacy laws.
As of Wednesday, Explorys had raised $1 million to develop its "Population Explorer" search engine.
The tool could be used to:
- Track the effectiveness of treatments;
- Monitor the results of new drug therapies; and
- Identify potential participants for clinical studies.
The Cleveland Clinic is conducting an in-house pilot project of the technology. The hospital system owns a share of Explorys and will earn royalties under a licensing deal with the firm (Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/11).