MELBOURNE, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Australia has launched a national data platform to accelerate the discovery of new risk markers for heart attack and stroke.
The Australian Cardiovascular Disease Data Commons is a cloud-based research platform linking major Australian health cohorts and analytical platforms, with more national and international datasets to follow, according to a statement released Monday by Australia's Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute.
The institute described it as "one of the most ambitious plans to harness cardiovascular disease data globally and accelerate research and clinical translation."
Professor Peter Meikle from the institute said the project brings together large cohorts with genomic, metabolomic and proteomic data, as well as stored blood samples, to validate existing risk markers and discover new ones.
Meikle said the platform would help researchers assess how well polygenic risk scores work for Australians and develop the first combined lipidomic and genetic risk tool for coronary artery disease, a leading cause of death worldwide.
Up to 27 percent of heart attack patients have none of the well-known risk factors, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or smoking, when they present to a general practitioner, the institute noted. ■
