Israeli, Scottish team develops tech for early detection of osteoporosis
To form the idea, the Storm ID and Zebra medical worked closely with medical officials from the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as well as the Assuta Medical Centers in Israel.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFZebra Medical Vision and Storm ID collaborate with NHS and Assuta Medical Centers to develop solution for the early detection of osteoporosis(photo credit: ZEBRA MEDICAL VISION)
Scotland-based Storm ID and Israeli start-up Zebra Medical Vision collaborated together to win a research development competition, by proposing an AI-driven solution used for the early detection of osteoporosis.The two proposed a "revolutionary, machine learning-driven model" which drives the early detection, and prevention, of osteoporosis - improving patient care and inevitably reducing medical bills in the process.To form the idea, the Storm ID and Zebra medical worked closely with medical officials from the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as well as the Assuta Medical Centers in Israel."We’re honored to enhance our collaboration with the NHS and Assuta Medical hospital through this incredible initiative, allowing Zebra Med’s solutions to even more widely spread in the UK and Israeli healthcare facilities to bring earlier identification and treatment of patients at risk of a break, which in turn will help healthcare payers and providers," said CEO of Zebra Medical Vision Ohad Arazi.Bones naturally deteriorate with age, but around 10 million Americans, 80 percent of whom are women, have osteoporosis, a debilitating condition in which their BMD is significantly lower than normal. Their bones become so weak and brittle they can break during a fall, or in extreme cases, from even a sneeze or minor jolt. People with osteopenia have thinning bones and are at risk for osteoporosis.Storm ID and Zebra Medical are now developing an AI-driven solution to identify people at risk for osteoporosis, presumably those who have or will develop osteopenia, by using patient records and medical image data to help physicians treat broken bones before they even occur."We’re aiming to combine the powerful data exchange capabilities of our own Lenus Health Platform with the machine learning models developed by Zebra Medical Vision to transform osteoporosis screening," said Director at Storm ID, Paul Mcginness. "By predicting ahead of time the potential risk of bone fracture , we can intervene earlier to treat and manage the risk, which is better for the patient and for the health system."The technology will be developed over the next two years, and will include clinical trials, real-world environment tests with the NHS and Assuta Medical."We are pleased to partner on the development of this innovative new service for osteoporosis patients through the expertise of the West of Scotland Innovation Hub," said Emergency Consultant, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and Clinical Lead, West of Scotland Innovation Hub David Lowe. "This is another example of a successful collaboration between industry and the NHS to move forward innovative healthcare. Our clinical teams at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will support the aim of this project to ultimately identify and treat patients with increased risk of bone breakage before it happens."The project will be sponsored by the United Kingdom and Israel through the EUREKA agreement, meant to bolster technology ties between the two countries."Being able to re-analyze information from patient records and imaging is an important advantage of modern artificial intelligence," said Head of Imaging and Innovation at Assuta Dr. Michal Guindy. "Assuta is a center of excellence, performing over 200,000 CTs annually and It is exciting to think that we can play a significant role in early detection of osteoporosis. By analyzing studies that were done for other clinical indications, we can help prevent fractures and contribute to solving a public health challenge of growing concern."Reuters contributed to this report.
