BlackBerry and NantHealth have launched a secure cancer genome browser to enable clinicians to examine patients' genetic data from their BlackBerry smartphones, Reuters reports. BlackBerry bought a minority stake earlier this year in NantHealth, a cloud-based information technology provider, it adds.
According to BlackBerry, the browser will allow oncologists to view the mutations in a patient's cancer as they are uncovered and highlight treatment options, all within a secure, HIPAA-compliant framework.
"Our partnership with BlackBerry has really been able to create a scalable super-computer in the palm of the hands of the doctor," Patrick Soon-Shiong, chief executive of NantHealth, tells Reuters.
The companies add that they'll be demonstrating the browser at the January Consumer Electronics Show, and that they will be preloading it on some BlackBerry Passport devices. Reuters adds that the browser will also be available on some rival platforms, but secured by the BlackBerry network.