Medtech titan Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) is poised to champion new heart failure research through a lead position at Optum Labs, an open healthcare research and innovation cooperative where the company just signed on as a "Founding Medical Device Partner."

Boston Scientific will lend its expertise to research examining unmet needs and clinical challenges for patients with heart failure, hoping to "improve the efficiency of care delivery, the value of care and overall population health management," according to a press release. There are already more than 20 different research projects already underway at Optum.

The Lab was founded last year as a partnership between Optum, a health information technology services provider, and the Mayo Clinic. AARP joined as the consumer advocate organization, and the Lab has also drawn the likes of Pfizer, Inc., Tufts Medical Center and the American Medical Group Assn., among others.

The partnered groups commit to "sharing information assets, technologies, knowledge tools and scientific expertise" in there interest of improving patient care. Projects housed at the labs gain access to "an unprecedented, high-quality pool of de-identified claims and clinical information covering millions of lives," as well as access to industry experts and clinicians.

"Research at Optum Labs is linked to the clinical environment through prototyping and testing in actual care settings," according to Boston Scientific. "The goal is to help drive the discovery of new applications, test new care pathways and drive innovation in wellness and care delivery that improve health care delivery and patient outcomes."