CASE STUDY
Established in 2013 , the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics ( Insight ) stands as one of Europe ’ s premier data analytics research hubs . With more than 450 researchers , 220 industry partners and a robust funding of more than US $ 165 million , the Centre delves into diverse research areas ranging from health and human performance to business services and sustainable operations . Insight collaboratively operates through four main institutions : DCU , the University of Galway , UCC and UCD , while partnering with esteemed entities like Maynooth University , TCD , Tyndall and UL .
“ What ’ s truly exciting for us is exploring how the future potential of AI technologies is enhancing the practices of vascular surgeons ,” said Edward Curry , Director , Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics , University of Galway .
The obstacles they faced
The aorta , our body ’ s primary artery , efficiently delivers oxygen-rich blood throughout our system . But the silent threat of aortic disease often goes undetected , commonly misdiagnosed in the acute setting in 50 % of cases as conditions like coronary syndrome or pulmonary embolism . Despite four decades of research , survival rates have not improved due to the inability to accurately diagnose when intervention is needed .
Stepping up to this challenge is the Virtual Aorta initiative at the University of Galway . Spearheading advancements in diagnostics and the development of new treatments for aortic disease , this groundbreaking project is backed by Open Clouds for Research Environments ( OCRE ) funding . Since January 2021 , Rackspace Technology has been a leading contributor in the European Open Science Cloud marketplace . Through the OCRE framework , it provides Amazon Web Services ( AWS ) cloud services to research institutions , universities and NREN members across Europe , aiming to boost cloud adoption and refine the tools available to the education and research communities . With this powerful collaboration , Insight leverages AWS to expedite and streamline diagnosis .
Pooling expertise from diverse fields within University of Galway and its partners , the initiative is on the brink of delivering innovative medical solutions . Through computer simulations tailored to individual patients , the path is cleared for more timely and accurate diagnoses of aortic complications . Harnessing the cloud , the initiative is revolutionising secure data management , promoting efficient computational models , fostering seamless collaborations and championing cloud service adoption in academia . This alignment with EU open data directives isn ’ t just beneficial for the ongoing research – it ’ s also a beacon for the broader research community .
However , the challenge persists : real-time aortic diagnosis is often hampered by the intricacies of modelling blood flow . But with cutting-edge tools like AI and Machine Learning in conjunction with Amazon SageMaker , the partnership is gaining ground , unlocking vast resources to virtually model the aorta and swiftly distil vital insights .
“ Computationally modelling the aorta is resourceintensive , beyond our present compute capabilities ,” Curry said . “ Our collaboration with Rackspace Technology and AWS via OCRE has granted us access to scalable cloud computing infrastructure . This increased compute capacity is a game-changer in reducing the analysis time .
“ Rackspace Technology has been very influential , helping us onboard AWS technologies through training , access to expertise and working with us on a daily basis to understand how best to use those technologies within our research activities ,” added Curry .
How Rackspace helped
The project ’ s goals were multifaceted , but two main challenges stood out : the daunting computational process of modelling blood flow in the aorta and efficiently handling the massive , intricate three-
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