Company Takes Center Stage to Profile
Collaboration with UCSF Focused on Early Detection of Breast
Cancer
Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC) president and chief
operating officer Mike Cordano will be a featured speaker at
Bloomberg’s signature multi-platform event, The Year Ahead, taking
place today in New York City. Cordano will address how data is
being used to disrupt and transform industries, drive insights that
lead to breakthrough discoveries and shape a brighter future in
ways not yet imagined. In a general session titled “Unlocking the
Power of Big Data in the Age of IoT,” Cordano will be joined by Dr.
Dexter Hadley, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor in the UCSF
Institute for Computational Health Sciences, who will talk about
how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning can be used
to improve the detection of breast cancer. Western Digital has
teamed with UCSF to provide the technology infrastructure needed to
scale an innovative research program focused on improving the
accuracy of cancer detection from mammography scans.
Experts increasingly see the limitations of mammography such
as false negatives, that miss a quarter of all cancers through
screening, as well as false positives that create unnecessary
anxiety and procedures for women who turn out not to have cancer.
For every thousand women screened, 100 are recalled for more
testing, but only 5 to 10 of them are ultimately diagnosed with
cancer. Despite widespread screening, up to a quarter of breast
cancers go undetected, surfacing as so-called “interval cancers,”
that do not show up on mammograms as analyzed by the human eye.
While most eventually show up in diagnostic imaging, a tiny portion
are never found and seem to be undetectable to the human eye.
With enough data, however, Dr. Hadley believes it will be
possible to train machines to detect even these cancers. The
BreastWeCan.org initiative aims to encourage five million women
across the country to give access to their mammograms, in return
for personalized assessments of their breast cancer risk, using
calculators developed by clinicians at UCSF and elsewhere. Dr.
Hadley’s vision became actionable through a donation from Western
Digital and a simple suggestion to consider what life-saving,
philanthropic goals are possible through the thoughtful gathering
and harnessing of the power of data.
Mike Cordano noted that the role of data is rapidly evolving in
the world. In addition to the traditional use of data for business
purposes, data is now being used for social good across a wide
range of causes. By aggregating large amounts of data,
organizations can accelerate the ability to spot connections, gain
insight and develop predictive algorithms that can provide more
precise direction and decisions for individuals, our communities
and our planet.
"Right now, a woman’s digital mammogram images are kept by her
physician, hospital or medical group,” Dr. Hadley said. “She can
request the images herself and contribute them anonymously to our
cumulative library. This will help in obtaining the necessary
sample size of mammograms so that we can train computers to detect
cancers earlier and more accurately than what is possible today. We
estimate that about five million mammograms are needed for us to
obtain enough data to detect patterns. We are asking women to
submit their mammograms for this university research, so that early
detection becomes a given, not just an aspiration.”
Dr. Hadley’s work has received multiple NIH and UCSF awards for
the use of data to screen for skin cancer using everyday
smartphones, and for his work in radiology to use AI to better
manage breast cancer using big data from routine medical images. In
general, the end point of his work is to develop automated image
analysis that translates into better patient outcomes and reduced
morbidity and mortality across the spectrum of disease.
“The work underway at UCSF is a powerful example of how data is
increasingly being put to use in ways that make aspirational goals
an attainable reality,” said Mike Cordano, president and chief
operating officer, Western Digital. “Data is the foundation of all
artificial intelligence and machine learning development. We are
pleased to contribute technology that facilitates the long-term
preservation and accessibility of large data sets required to
enable doctors to glean insight and understanding, empower their
patients and ultimately save lives.”
Western Digital is honored to share the stage with esteemed care
givers, business leaders, acclaimed academics, and states people to
discuss and debate some of the most exciting issues ahead with the
respected Bloomberg organization.
To learn more about The Year Ahead Summit, including additional
details on the speakers, agenda and sponsors, please visit:
https://www.bloomberglive.com/the-year-ahead/
Follow the conversation on Twitter with @BloombergLIVE and
#TheYearAhead
To learn more about Dr. Hadley’s work:
http://www.hadleylab.org/
To contribute mammograms toward Dr. Hadley and the UCSF
initiative: http://BreastWeCan.org
To learn more about the power of data:
http://www.datamakespossible.com/
To read an interview with Dr. Hadley:
http://www.datamakespossible.com/2017/05/04/big-data-today-keep-doctor-away/
To view a video from Western Digital and Bloomberg with Dr. Atul
Butte about the power of data and precision medicine:
https://youtu.be/06PM83yAQAo
To view livestream coverage of the event:
https://www.bloomberg.com/live/stream
About Western Digital
Western Digital creates environments for data to thrive. The
company is driving the innovation needed to help customers capture,
preserve, access and transform an ever-increasing diversity of
data. Everywhere data lives, from advanced data centers to mobile
sensors to personal devices, our industry-leading solutions deliver
the possibilities of data.
Western Digital® data-centric solutions are marketed under the
G-Technology™, HGST, SanDisk®, Tegile™, Upthere™ and WD®
brands.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements by
Mr. Cordano and by Dr. Hadley, including statements by Mr. Cordano
regarding Western Digital’s technology and development efforts, the
evolving role of data and its drivers, and the uses and
capabilities of Western Digital’s technology. There are a number of
risks and uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking
statements to be inaccurate including, among others: volatility in
global economic conditions; business conditions and growth in the
storage ecosystem; impact of competitive products and pricing;
market acceptance and cost of commodity materials and specialized
product components; actions by competitors; unexpected advances in
competing technologies; the development and introduction of
products based on new technologies and expansion into new data
storage markets; risks associated with acquisitions, mergers and
joint ventures; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other
risks and uncertainties listed in Western Digital’s filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the
company’s Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on Nov. 7, 2017, to which
your attention is directed. You should not place undue reliance on
these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date
hereof, and Western Digital undertakes no obligation to update
these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or
circumstances.
Western Digital, the Western Digital logo, G-Technology,
SanDisk, Tegile, Upthere and WD are registered trademarks or
trademarks of Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates in the
US and/or other countries. All other marks are the property of
their respective owners. © 2017 Western Digital Corporation or its
affiliates. All rights reserved.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171108005658/en/
Contact for Western Digital:JoAnn Yamani+1
408-717-8917joann.yamani@wdc.comorContact for UCSF:Laura
Kurtzmanlaura.kurtzman@ucsf.eduorContact for Bloomberg:Augusta
Mellon+1 212-617-5152amellon2@bloomberg.net
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