Singapore is hoping to direct more deliberate efforts towards the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare through a new partnership that aims to combine expertise from both fields. A three-year collaboration between SingHealth and SGInnovate will offer resources and opportunities for deep-tech startups to develop AI applications that enhance healthcare services.
The partnership will drive the adoption of AI and emerging technologies to improve diagnostics, treatments, medical aid delivery, and clinical outcomes for Singapore, according to the Health Minister at the Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony.
Funded by Singapore's Ministry of Finance, SGInnovate is a venture company focused on deep-tech startups. SingHealth is the country's largest healthcare organization, encompassing over 40 clinical specialties, including public hospitals and polyclinics.
Widespread AI Use in Singapore's Smart Nation Initiative
With the launch of its national AI strategy, alongside various initiatives, the Singapore government aims to promote AI adoption to generate economic value and create a global platform for the development and testing of AI applications.
The two organizations aim to advance healthcare AI innovations in significant ways. The partnership will establish "communities of practice" and organize data-sharing events to connect healthcare professionals and the deep-tech community, including startups, corporations, and innovators.
"This collaboration will also focus on providing startups with the resources they need to grow. This includes connecting innovators with potential investors and supporting startups in developing strategies, go-to-market approaches, and business networking," the minister said.
Deep-tech entrepreneurs will be encouraged to collaborate with clinician-researchers, doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals from SingHealth. Initiatives may include reverse pitches, where SingHealth innovators present clinical needs to a network of startups to brainstorm potential applications.
Building a Community of Practice
The two partners will also aim to build talent through real-world training opportunities and exchanges. Venture capitalists and global corporations, for instance, will offer hands-on training to help local talent develop innovation and business capabilities.
In building this community, SingHealth's clinicians and SGInnovate's public and private sector partners in health science will regularly come together to "shape mindsets" towards AI use in healthcare, the two organizations said in a joint statement.
Through activities such as reverse pitches, clinicians and healthcare professionals will have the opportunity to present disease and clinical workflow needs, which startups can then develop AI-powered tools to address and test in clinical settings.
AI in Healthcare: Current Initiatives
Singapore's healthcare sector has already launched several initiatives leveraging AI. For instance, Changi General Hospital and Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS) developed a deep learning system that assesses chest X-rays to predict the likelihood of a patient developing severe pneumonia, enabling early intervention by doctors.
A joint research team, including the Singapore National Eye Center, Singapore Eye Research Institute, and NUS School of Computing, developed Singapore Eye Lesion Analyzer Plus (SELENA+), an AI system that uses retinal images to detect major eye diseases. SELENA+ has been deployed across 20 polyclinics.
Wearable sensors and cloud computing are also being used to remotely monitor patients' vital signs and symptoms. The data is then analyzed using AI to predict early complications of diseases.
The Future of AI in Singapore Healthcare
SingHealth Group CEO said: "The adoption of healthcare technologies and innovations, such as AI, is critical for the future of medicine to strengthen valuable resources and ensure a more robust healthcare system to respond to growing patient needs... This new partnership will be key in training our healthcare innovators to advance AI in health and accelerate the process of translating novel ideas from bench to bedside."
No comments:
Post a Comment