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Is IBM's Watson Really a Big Deal?

IBM's supercomputer Watson has stolen the headlines lately, but this isn't the first time that computing has been applied to medicine.

By Max Macaluso, Brenton Flynn, and Dave Williamson – Mar 29, 2013 at 6:30PM EST

From cutting edge science to the impact of Obamacare, from clinical trial results to FDA decisions, and from Bieber fever to hay fever, The Motley Fool's health-care team sits down each week to discuss the most fascinating developments across the health-care industry, and their implications for long-term investors. In this week's edition, the team talks about an exciting drug approval, how computers can help scientists develop new drugs, and stocks that have both soared and crashed. The analysts close with a discussion of companies they will be closely following in the coming weeks.

In the segment below, health-care analyst Max Macaluso discusses the impact that IBM's (IBM 0.68%) Watson supercomputer could have on health care, and highlights one important area of medicine where computers have helped biotechs like Ariad Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ARIA).

The relevant video segment can be found between 6:13 and 8:06.

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About the Author

Max is the Technology, Biopharma & Health Care Bureau Chief at Fool.com. Prior to joining the Fool, he completed a PhD in chemistry at the University of Cambridge and an MBA at the College des Ingenieurs. Follow @TMFMassimo

TMFMassimo

Stocks Mentioned

International Business Machines

NYSE: IBM

$245.07

(-0.68%)-$1.67

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