December 4, 2018 — Quest Diagnostics recently announced it will contribute biomarker implementation, population health analytics and a national lab platform as a pillar supporter of One Brave Idea, the research initiative cofounded by the American Heart Association (AHA) and Verily Life Sciences with significant support from AstraZeneca. The company said it hopes to advance the work to identify coronary heart disease at the earliest transition from wellness to disease.
Developing novel approaches to understand cardiovascular health and pre-disease is the cornerstone strategy of One Brave Idea, a research initiative led by Calum MacRae, M.D., Ph.D., vice chair for scientific innovation in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
“As the leader in cardiovascular diagnostic insights, Quest Diagnostics brings a remarkable network of just-in-time clinical and consumer diagnostics, access to rich longitudinal data and the logistical framework to quickly translate science into actionable insights for the people who seek ways to pre-empt heart disease,” said Nancy Brown, American Heart Association chief executive officer, who announced the news at the organization’s 91st annual Scientific Sessions, Nov. 10-12 in Chicago. “There is great value in bringing Quest Diagnostics biomarker development experiences to One Brave Idea research that has the potential to predict early signs of coronary heart disease.”
The One Brave Idea team includes experts from a diverse background, including engineering and data sciences as well as many prestigious institutions such as Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Stanford University and Northwestern. One Brave Idea is working to create a coronary heart disease early warning system by investigating what happens 10-20 years before any risk factors typically appear. A key aim is to develop novel diagnostic techniques to identify cardiovascular disease, including stroke, in stages where discreet forms can be identified, and preventive measures initiated to stop or reverse disease progression.
Consumers are more engaged in their health than ever before and healthcare innovation is happening at every corner, according to Quest Diagnostics. This opens up a whole new world for evidence-based diagnostics that can be broadly scaled across hospitals and clinics for real-world implementation.
Quest Diagnostics will provide state-of-the-art diagnostic services and population health analytics in support of OBI research. Through its Cleveland HeartLab, Quest maintains a pipeline of early-stage genetic and biological markers in cardiometabolic disorders, with the potential for future diagnostic services for clinical use and pharmaceutical research.
Additionally, the company’s deep biomarker expertise and rich dataset of de-identified laboratory testing on millions of patients for cardiovascular, metabolic and other disorders is expected to inform OBI research. Quest Diagnostics also maintains avenues to directly engage patients and providers, a common impediment to scale research. These avenues include Quest Quanum connectivity to about half the physicians in the United States, a network of 2,200 patient service centers, and the MyQuest patient app, which has 6 million subscribers.
"Through Verily's informatic capabilities, AstraZeneca's proprietary data, the AHA’s ecosystem of patient-centered research and scientific networks, and now Quest’s diagnostic expertise and rich datasets, we will enhance our progress toward ending coronary heart disease and its consequences,” said MacRae.
For more information: www.onebraveidea.com
March 04, 2026 
