Olympus inks co-development deal with Ai4gi for AI-supported colonoscopy solution

Olympus (TYO:7733) said today it inked a co-development deal with artificial intelligence joint venture Ai4gi which will give Olympus exclusive rights to offer Ai4gi’s AI solution designed for clinical decision support during colonoscopy screening and surveillance procedures.

Ai4gi is a joint venture between Imagia and Satis Operations, Tokyo-based Olympus said. The company added that the co-development agreement is intended to improve clinical outcomes during colonoscopy procedures, reduce costs and improve quality of life for patients.

“Ai4gi’s solutions to early colon cancer recognition are going to be a game-changer in the field of gastroenterology. These solutions are what the industry needs for more timely and more effective patient care, and Olympus is an ideal industry partner to drive clinical adoption of this technology. As doctors, we all need help to improve our practice, so why not use the best technology available?” Satis Operations CEO & Ai4gi clinical lead Dr. Michael Byrne said in a press release..

“We are excited about the potential of our clinical AI solutions to promote paradigm shifts in the standard of care for endoscopic procedures. The clinical decision support from AI may benefit patients by enabling physicians to better predict polyp histology in real-time,” Imagia CEO Frédéric Francis said in a prepared statement.

The AI-support tool from Ai4gi was developed using a large volume of unaltered endoscopic colonoscopy videos worldwide and combined with deep-learning training modules, Olympus said. The company is hopeful that the technology will improve clinician performance and help navigate new ways to treat disease.

Olympus said the co-development agreement is the first of its kind in the US market, and that it is the first time an AI proof-of-concept has been clinically demonstrated in a real-time colonoscopy screening application.

“We are thrilled to add artificial intelligence to our already powerful endoscopy portfolio which we feel is an emerging and essential core competency in this space. Our vision is to add Artificial Intelligence to our platform to improve the assessment of colon cancer screening as well as potentially other endoscopic procedures. Better visibility, along with increased efficiency, can bring us closer to our goal of improving quality of care, reducing healthcare costs and enhancing patient satisfaction,” Olympus America endoscopy division group VP Kurt Heine said in prepared remarks.

Last month, Olympus said it inked a deal with InterSystems to enhance Olympus’ Knowledge Exchange System with InterSystems HealthShare, which allows for the sharing of images taken during endoscopy procedures.

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