Pharmaceutical giant Merck is partnering with the Regenstrief Institute, an informatics and research organization, on a five-year agreement to use data analytics to develop personalized medicine treatments.

Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed. Merck and Regenstrief will focus on chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, according to a Merck news release.

The collaboration aims to use health data to better understand these diseases and develop more targeted treatment options.

Indianapolis-based Regenstrief is closely tied to the IU School of Medicine.

"This type of novel academic-industry collaboration can advance our understanding of a number of critical therapeutic areas, enabling novel use of health information technology to enhance drug development, medication safety and the personalization of therapeutics," said Dr. Sachin Jain, Merck's chief medical information and innovation officer, in the release.

Merck, which makes drugs such as HPV vaccine Gardasil, diabetes drug Januvia and osteoporosis therapy Fosamax, is based in Whitehouse Station, N.J.

The Regenstrief Institute's medical record system also is being used as part of an HHS pilot program in Indiana and Ohio designed to help pharmacists and other providers detect prescription-drug abuse.