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PC3-AIDA joint project to lay the foundation for the Baden-Württemberg-wide exchange of highly complex health data with a new image data infrastructure

The rapid development of innovative medical technologies allows the generation of ever more precise health data in ever greater quantities and opens up completely new diagnostic and treatment options. However, this also creates the need for equally innovative utilization, analysis, sorting and linking of this data. Furthermore, new digital tools, such as digital health applications (DiGA) and wearables, are leading to a significant expansion of the data spectrum, the potential of which can only be exploited via an adaptable platform. With the image data infrastructure "teamplay digital health platform connect" (tdhp), the joint project PC3-AIDA of the University Hospitals of Freiburg, Tübingen, Mannheim and Ulm aims to lay the foundation for the Baden-Württemberg-wide exchange of highly complex health data and, among other things, reduce the workload of clinical staff through an innovative AI-supported evaluation of this data.

Complex, pioneering medical technologies, such as the photon counting computed tomography (PC-CT) technology successfully implemented at three clinical sites in the predecessor project PC3, make a decisive contribution to the continuous improvement of patient care. However, this generates novel and extensive data for which there is still no suitable infrastructure in Baden-Württemberg. The joint project "Advanced Imaging Utilization by Digital Data Application in Baden-Württemberg" (PC3-AIDA) of the University Hospitals of Freiburg, Tübingen, Mannheim and Ulm and the partner Siemens Healthineers is taking on this task. The project has been funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Tourism of the State of Baden-Württemberg since August 2023 with a total of around 1.6 million euros over a period of around one and a half years. The PC3-AIDA consortium will implement the digital exchange of PC-CT image data using the tdhp image data infrastructure at four clinical sites.

The NORA research platform integrated into tdhp can also be used to integrate new evaluation options, including those based on artificial intelligence, into the evaluation of image data at an early stage. With the support of BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg, PC3-AIDA aims to establish comprehensive utilization of PC-CT data - as well as other modern image data such as magnetic resonance imaging - through to diagnosis, while at the same time creating the possibility of integrating other types of medical data and other value-added services. "We are really proud that we now have a new consortium partner in the form of Ulm University Hospital, which will enable us to fully network the university medical sites in Baden-Württemberg," says Prof. Dr. Fabian Bamberg, Medical Director of Radiology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. "We are also planning to include other important partners, such as the Robert Bosch Hospital in Stuttgart and the Karlsruhe Clinic," says Bamberg. The project also aims to enable the use of modern imaging data outside of local university structures, for example by companies and academic institutions.

The Medical Director of the Department of Radiology at Ulm University Hospital, Prof. Dr. Meinrad Beer, is looking forward to the new task: "For Ulm, networking is an essential building block for effectively exchanging highly complex imaging information and making it more usable."

tdhp as a multifunctional link in the healthcare sector

tdhp is designed as a "Platform as a Service" (PaaS) offering to enable the connection of a wide range of participants in the healthcare sector. "Overall, the platform opens up new ways for cross-institutional cooperation, including the connection of the electronic health record system (eGA) of health insurance companies and value-added services that offer treatment support or appointment management systems, for example. The possibilities are enormous," says Prof. Dr. Konstantin Nikolaou from the University Hospital of Tübingen. Prof. Dr. Stefan Schönberg, Director of the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the University Medical Center Mannheim, adds: "At the University Medical Center Mannheim, the use of tdhp has already been successfully tested in a special real laboratory, the "INSPIRE LIVING LAB". Now, as part of PC3-AIDA, the use is to be established and further developed at several locations, so we are not starting from scratch."

In addition to its networking function, tdhp also offers a suitable basis for integrating a wide range of artificial intelligence (AI) and thus facilitates cooperation with other SMEs and start-ups in the medical software and medical technology sector. The NORA AI research platform developed in Freiburg will be integrated into tdhp during the initial phase of PC3-AIDA. "This means that we have a tool available in the network to use highly innovative evaluations across locations using artificial intelligence," says Bamberg. "These and other results can then be made directly available to the Centers for Personalized Medicine (ZPM) in order to increase individuality in the treatment of patients."

In order to advance the digital use of healthcare data and improve care, research and teaching in Baden-Württemberg, another milestone in the project is the collaboration with the MEDI:CUS multicloud project. "Specifically, the aim is to link tdhp, which serves as an application example, with the multicloud, which acts as a data and exchange platform, and thus to establish a data protection-compliant digital ecosystem in healthcare." However, this is only achievable in the medium term, says Nikolaou.

Background:

In medicine, the concept of translation is essential for innovation. It refers to the seamless transfer of research knowledge to industry and vice versa, whereby findings from basic research can be translated into concrete applications for patient care. BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg will ensure the cross-institutional and cross-industry translation of the project results and support and develop potential collaborations in order to exploit the full potential of PC3-AIDA. Industry workshops organized and moderated by BIOPRO and a targeted publicity campaign in 2023 and 2024 will increase project visibility and create synergies between the consortium partners, university medical partners, non-university research institutes and industry. Further product scenarios will be developed in these workshops to enable networking and cooperation with SMEs and start-ups. In Baden-Württemberg, this will create a comprehensive value chain that converts medical data into products and secures a global competitive advantage - in the interests of patients and the economy.