Centre for Health Services Research

NINA

Funding source: 
Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) National Critical Research Infrastructure scheme

The NINA (National Infrastructure for federated learNing in DigitAl health) project aims to revolutionise chronic disease management in Australia by addressing the country's fragmented health data landscape. Traditional methods of centralising data for Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning applications face significant legislative and privacy challenges. NINA proposes a novel approach using Federated Learning (FL), which allows data to remain at its source while enabling collaborative analysis. This method respects privacy laws and ethical standards, making it possible to harness vast amounts of health data across different jurisdictions without compromising data security.

NINA is a five-year initiative funded by the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and various partners, totalling $13.7 million. The project is led by The University of Queensland and involves over 20 academic, health service, and industry partners. By leveraging FL, NINA aims to create new models of care for chronic diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and cancer. The project will develop scalable ethics and governance pathways, establish necessary technology, and implement FL to enhance chronic disease research and treatment strategies. For instance, the diabetes use case focuses on predicting the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in women with gestational diabetes, while the cancer use case aims to identify predictors of breast cancer recurrence.

Partners

UQ and the below collaborators aim to create a robust digital health ecosystem across public and private sectors that can significantly improve health outcomes for Australians suffering from chronic diseases.

  • Monash University
  • Macquarie University
  • Queensland University of Technology
  • Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation
  • Industry partners include Amazon, Google Cloud, Stryker, BioGrid, and the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Hub.
  • Health services partners include Queensland Health, Monash Health, and NSW Health.

In the media: A ‘digital health revolution’ to tackle chronic diseases - UQ News - The University of Queensland, Australia