In a bold new alliance, CAS and Cleveland Clinic are combining AI, quantum computing, and vast scientific data to tackle Alzheimer’s disease—transforming how we discover drugs and redefining the future of healthy aging.
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CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society specializing in scientific content and knowledge management, and the Cleveland Clinic, an academic health system with a global footprint, announced plans for a strategic collaboration that will unite the organizations' unique expertise, technology, and data capabilities to fuel clinical research.
During the Cleveland Discovery & Innovation Forum, an event highlighting cutting-edge healthcare and life sciences research, the two global organizations announced that their collaboration's first strategic focus area will be aiming to advance research on health, wellness, and healthy aging. Initial projects the organizations are discussing will focus on drug discovery for brain health, a priority underscored by the relative lack of effective, disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's due to the complex nature of the disease.
"This unique collaboration leverages Cleveland Clinic's expertise in biomedical research and clinical care with CAS leadership in scientific data and technology," said Lara Jehi, M.D., Cleveland Clinic Chief Research Information Officer. "By combining our strengths, we aim to create high-quality medical data, validate scientific models, and integrate research to ultimately enhance patient care and chronic disease management."
The effort will harness the CAS Content Collection™, the world's most comprehensive curated scientific information resource, with advanced technologies, including new AI models and quantum computing. As part of its partnership with IBM, the Cleveland Clinic houses an IBM Quantum System One, the world's first quantum computer fully dedicated to healthcare research.
The collaborators plan to build and train disease-specific models, starting with Alzheimer's, focused on advancing preventative and predictive strategies, and potentially translating them to other chronic diseases in the future.
"CAS is delighted to partner with Cleveland Clinic, an institution renowned for its exceptional research and innovation," said Manuel Guzman, CAS President. "Recognizing it takes 17 years for a scientific discovery in a lab to become an approved test or therapy, we are confident that together, we can close that gap. Led by our shared goal of improving people's lives through scientific innovation, we will combine high-quality content, subject expertise, and advanced technologies to discover new paths to healthy aging and drive positive social and economic impacts."
The initiative will benefit from the Cleveland Innovation District, which brings the State of Ohio and JobsOhio together with Cleveland's healthcare and higher education institutions to create jobs, accelerate research, and educate the future workforce.