Pune based DeepTek collaborates with Japanese company MBM for artificial Intelligence lead solution to screen Coronavirus

31 March 2020, Pune- Recently there have been notable developments in health tech diagnostics due to Artificial Intelligence tools for analyzing medical scans like X-Ray, CT and MRI. In this era where a shortage of radiologists is felt globally – Artificial Intelligence (AI) lead solutions are assisting in improving reporting quality, reduce turnaround time while helping to make medical image reading services more accessible and affordable.

DeepTek Medical Imaging Pvt. Ltd. (a Pune – India based technology venture. Managing Director – Ajit Patil) and MDM Inc. (Tokyo – Japan based medical technology venture. Representative – Chie Akusawa) announced a collaborative research and development initiative towards developing an AI based solution for screening of COVID 19 (Novel Coronavirus) using chest radiography.

DeepTek has already deployed a similar population screening solution for Tuberculosis (TB) screening. It instantaneously processes chest radiographs to identify potential TB and other infections. This solution has been used for public health screening of over 75,000 individuals in India. DeepTek’s TB solution is also being leveraged in the APAC region. Over 1.2 million people die of TB annually. WHO is working on a mission to stop the TB epidemic by year 2030; while India has setup a target of the year 2025.

With the rapid spread of the new COVID 19 infection globally, MBM Inc. has taken an initiative towards developing a similar solution which can help reduce stress on healthcare professionals and enable better patient care. The solution will process chest radiographs to screen a sub-class of the broader condition of pneumonia using deep learning algorithms. This can be helpful in screening for epidemics and pandemics like the COVID 19, SARS, H1N1 outbreaks in appropriate clinical settings. The solution is expected to be available for trials from early May 2020.

MBM (http://medical-business-machines.com) is a Japanese company conducting R&D and sales of AI systems for medical use. MBM is an IBM partner in Japan. DeepTek’s medical AI solution will be installed in the MBM’s “AI image diagnosis support device” which it plans to sell in Japan from this year and explore global opportunities in the years to follow.