In 2022, a total of 10,000 people died from lung cancer in Taiwan, accounting for one-fifth of all cancer deaths and making it the number one cause of cancer death in Taiwan. The Ministry of Health and Welfare pointed out that there is a huge gap in the survival rate within 5 years between the stages of lung cancer diagnosis: from 90% survival rate in the first stage to 10% survival rate in the fourth stage, half of the cases diagnosed with lung cancer are in the late stage. Missed golden treatment opportunity.
To this end, the government has promoted early detection programs in the past two years, hoping that high-risk groups such as the middle-aged and elderly can detect lung cancer before it worsens. However, a health check-up process requires viewing hundreds of computed tomography images, which is not only very labor-intensive but also challenges the doctor's vision.
Promoting ‘simultaneous screening of heart and lungs’, Taiwanese medical startup Shenrui Artificial Intelligence (DeepRad.AI) has introduced ‘DeepLung-CAC’, using AI technology to assist doctors in quickly detecting and analyzing high-risk groups, akin to a second pair of eyes for radiologists.
How did this Taiwanese medical AI startup DeepRad.AI gain NVIDIA's favor to become a partner and apply its solutions in several hospitals, including Beihua?
Killing two birds with one stone! Lung cancer screening CT can also assess cardiovascular risk.
DeepLung-CAC is a software that uses AI to analyze chest CT images, incorporating multiple AI models and accumulating years of health check imaging databases from Beihua, Shuanghe, and Wanfang Hospitals in Northern Taiwan. This technology can detect subtle signs that are difficult to see with the naked eye, quickly identifying abrupt white spots in 300 to 500 CT images, which represent early cancer manifestations in CT.
Image source: DeepRad.AI DeepLung-CAC can detect subtle signs that are difficult to see with the naked eye, quickly pointing out abrupt white spots in 300 to 500 CT images, which represent the manifestation of cancer in CT.
Shenrui Artificial Intelligence co-founder Zhang Yao-ji explained that the platform can determine the characteristics of lung nodules through imaging, allowing radiologists to quickly interpret and explain. The product's advantages are not only limited to AI-assisted detection but also to making it easier for radiologists to interpret, enabling doctors to provide explanations and complete reports immediately after testing.
A single low-dose CT scan can check the lungs and simultaneously predict the risk level of coronary artery calcification and will also include osteoporosis risk assessment in the future. The proportion of the elderly who are prone to lung cancer, myocardial infarction, and osteoporosis is higher, which is why the team developed these three main projects. This function can not only achieve early treatment or preventive healthcare but also allows for simultaneous lung and heart screening. Zhang Yao-ji said: ‘This is a concept similar to ‘value-added services’!’
They are currently collaborating with hospitals and health check centers to quickly obtain testing results, which can then be directly referred to hospitals for prevention or treatment. The reason for choosing this business model is that they have observed that self-paid health check items without health insurance support are services hospitals continuously seek to expand. Additionally, Shenrui Artificial Intelligence also targets government-provided public lung cancer screening policies to offer services and assistance.
Currently, software for cardiac and pulmonary screening has passed the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) certification, and osteoporosis risk assessment has been developed and is undergoing clinical trials.
Another software that Shenrui Artificial Intelligence plans to launch, ‘DeepBrain-Cognito’, also serves the elderly, creating a 4D human brain aging timeline using 3D magnetic resonance imaging. It can not only predict the risk of dementia and areas of brain cortical atrophy in subjects but also help in early treatment to prevent deterioration. This technology is currently in the clinical trial phase in hospitals.
Image source: DeepRad.AI The software ‘DeepBrain-Cognito’ that DeepRad plans to launch also serves the elderly by using the thickness of the brain cortex as a key for imaging judgment, detecting the degree of dementia and brain atrophy in subjects.
Radiologists and AI engineers join forces, aiming to continuously promote preventive medicine.
Shenrui Artificial Intelligence initially began developing through a research project funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, and later stepped out of the school to establish the company in 2023 by former Vice President of Beihua University Chen Zhenyu, radiologist and AI engineer Chen Yanting, and Zhang Yao-ji.
‘We have radiologists and AI engineers working together,’ said Zhang Yao-ji, ‘this is what makes our team unique.’ Due to Zhang Yao-ji's background in public health and entrepreneurship, combined with founders who have clinical, theoretical, engineering, and market expertise, DeepRad.AI is more likely to commercialize its products compared to other teams.
Image source: DeepRad.AI DeepRad.AI initially began developing through a research project funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, and later stepped out of the school to establish the company in 2023 by former Vice President of Beihua University Chen Zhenyu, radiologist and AI engineer Chen Yanting, and Zhang Yao-ji.
In its first year, the company won the National Startup Award, was shortlisted in the Potential Startup Black Technology field, and received the GenAI Stars Quality Innovation Award, becoming a partner of NVIDIA. They are currently collaborating with over ten hospitals, accumulating more than 25,000 cases in real-world settings. In the future, they will actively seek FDA certification in the US to implement the cardiopulmonary screening platform in major hospitals.
Quick Q&A on entrepreneurship
Q: What are the most common questions asked by customers or investors? How would you respond?
A: During the fundraising phase, we are currently conducting Pre-A round fundraising, focusing on product optimization and market expansion, seeking strategic partners to accelerate growth.
Q: What resources does the team currently lack to achieve the next goal?
A: Acquiring certification abroad is our key challenge, requiring substantial funds and professional talent to accelerate the certification process, especially in the US and Japanese markets.
Q: What have you learned from entrepreneurship? Please briefly share your insights since starting your business.
A: Entrepreneurship has taught me to always maintain optimism and innovative thinking. No matter how much the environment changes, talent cultivation is the core of company growth and our most important asset.
Q: What are the three best things you have done since starting your business?
Domestic and international layout planning and strategy: We successfully conducted global market planning, covering major markets in Asia, Europe, and America.
Actively participating in competitions and exhibitions: Increases product and company exposure, gaining many potential collaboration opportunities and customer attention.
Continuously communicating with the industry: Regularly participating in industry events, sharing insights with experts, facilitating many potential collaborations and business expansion opportunities.
Team information
Company name: Shenrui Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd.
Establishment time: 2023
Product names: DeepLung-CAC, DeepBrain-Cognito
Official website
Further reading
Human savior? Cambridge AI cancer screening tool ‘98% accuracy’, can it really detect early treatment?
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This article is reproduced with permission from: (Entrepreneurship Meetup)
Original author: Cai Kai-heng
Original title: (Using AI to discover early cancer, Beihua's new startup DeepRad.AI helps 200,000 high-risk groups)
‘Discovering early cancer with AI! With the help of DeepRad.AI, is there hope for 200,000 high-risk groups?’ This article was first published in ‘Crypto City’