IBM and Google aren't the only ones attempting to cure cancer: BlackBerry and NantHealth are partnering to give doctors simplified access to genetic data.
Specifically, the firms revealed a secure browser for the BlackBerry Passport, dubbed the NantOmics Cancer Genome Browser, which doctors can use to look up information about patients' genetic data, as well as relevant treatment options.
According to BlackBerry, doctors will be able to examine a patient's chromosomes at an individual base-pair level. The human genome contains approximately 3 billion of these base pairs.
"BlackBerry's partnership with NantHealth illustrates how the mobile security and collaboration technology we are known for can be reimagined to create revolutionary applications across a variety of industries," BlackBerry CEO John Chen said in a statement.
The Canadian manufacturer introduced its 4.5-inch square handset in September. It sports a physical QWERTY keyboard and 1,440-by-1,440 display.
"BlackBerry technology has proven itself secure, reliable and powerful enough to be counted on in life-and-death situations," Chen said. "Its innovative form and functionality make BlackBerry Passport an ideal addition to a doctor's medical kit."
The service works with NantHealth's Eviti treatment recommendation engine to help personalize protocols for individual patients.
"NantHealth has quietly built the unique capability of placing a supercomputer into the doctor's hand at point of care and in time of need," NantHealth CEO Patrick Soon-Shiong said. "Now with BlackBerry's partnership and through the power of the cloud and secure networks, the reality is we are now able to put dozens of supercomputers, through mobile devices, into doctor's hands on a global basis. Our goal is to extend this unique capability from doctor to patient, thereby establishing patient-empowered 21st century health."
The NantOmics Cancer Genome Browser will be on display at January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and will be preloaded on some BlackBerry Passport devices and available to professionals in early 2015.
Today's announcement marks the first in a series of new healthcare-based offerings under development by BlackBerry and NantHealth.
In October, Google said it is working on a nanoparticle-filled pill intended to help doctors identify and prevent fatal diseases, like cancer. In March, meanwhile, IBM teamed with the New York Genome Center (NYGC) so that its Watson supercomputer can aid oncologists in DNA-based treatments for glioblastoma—the most common type of brain cancer.