The human arsenal, as we know, has always been loaded to the brim, but if we are being honest, it has never possessed anything more valuable than our tendency to grow under all circumstances. This tendency, in particular, has allowed us to hit upon some huge milestones, with technology appearing as a major member of the stated squad. The reason why we hold technology in such a high regard is largely down to its skill-set, which ushered us towards a reality that we couldn’t have imagined otherwise. Nevertheless, a closer look would reveal how the whole runner was also very much inspired by the way we applied those skills across a real-world setting. The latter component was, in fact, what gave the creation a spectrum-wide presence, including a timely appearance on our healthcare block. Technology’s foray into healthcare was a moment so notable, as it came right when the sector was beginning to struggle against its own obsolete structure. This struggle, fortunately enough, will come to an end under the new regime, but even after achieving such a monumental feat, the new and budding medtech concept will somehow continue to produce all the right goods. The same has turned more and more evident over the recent past, and truth be told, Google’s latest decision should do a lot to make that trend bigger and better moving forward.
Google has officially decided to license its AI research model for breast cancer screening to medical technology company, iCAD. Talk about iCAD’s plans for the technology, it will integrate the model with its existing tools. These tools include the company’s “ProFound AI” system, which is designed to analyze images from digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), an advanced imaging technique sometimes called “3D mammography.” By doing so, it basically looks to search out any malignant soft tissue densities and calcifications so to make a more timely diagnosis. Apart from it, iCAD will also use the model alongside its risk evaluation tool that provides personalized breast cancer risk estimation tailored to each person.
For Google, the partnership provides an interesting follow-up to a research it conducted back in 2020. At the time, Google’s researchers published a study that claimed how its AI system outperformed several radiologists in identifying signs of breast cancer. To give you some concrete figures, the model seemingly reduced false negatives by up to 9.4 percent and reduced false positives by up to 5.7 percent, among thousands of mammograms studied. Since then, the tech giant has partnered with Northwestern University to conduct further studies in terms of whether its AI can help reduce time to diagnosis for patients undergoing breast cancer screening, and there too, the results have been hugely encouraging, therefore nudging the company to make that next step.
Moving beyond the core AI model, iCAD will also rope in Google Cloud’s scalable infrastructure to handle all the marketing responsibilities for its cloud-hosted services.
“Joining forces with Google marks a historic milestone for our Company, as leveraging Google’s world-class AI and Cloud technology elevates the caliber of our market-leading breast AI technologies and may also accelerate adoption and expand access on a global scale,” said Stacey Stevens, President and CEO of iCAD, Inc. “iCAD and Google Health are united in our purpose-driven missions to elevate innovation, improve patient care and optimize outcomes for all.”
The two companies are now intent on deploying the technology as early as 2024.
