Yesterday BlackBerry announced a blockchain solution and several initiatives in the healthcare sector. The company is using its reputation for security to move into sectors like the Internet of Things (IoT). In September BlackBerry launched its Spark platform for highly secure IoT, which it calls “Enterprise of Things” (EoT).
“We are applying our expertise in security, data privacy, and communication work in regulated industries such as automotive, financial services, and government to tackle one of the biggest challenges in the healthcare industry: leveraging healthcare endpoints to improve patient outcomes while ensuring security and data privacy,” said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO of BlackBerry.
For the blockchain solution, the company is using its network operating center to power a blockchain solution from ONEBIO. The aim is to develop ultra-secure storage and an ecosystem for medical data. That data might come from patient devices, laboratories and IoT biometric devices. Once the data is anonymized, it is ready for sharing.
BlackBerry is piloting the project with the Global Commission which was created this year to help with faster diagnostics for children with rare diseases. The Commission is co-chaired by Shire the biotech or pharma company that specializes in rare diseases. The company plans to trial the solution to see whether it can shorten the diagnosis time.
There are several data blockchain solutions such as Nebula for genomics and Hu-manity and several others for medical data. This one is a little different as the focus may initially be more on the laboratory aspect. ONEBIO’s CEO also runs a company that developed an innovation for the storage of frozen laboratory specimens in vials.
