IBM Watson Health Medical Imaging Collaborative

2017: Expansion of an initiative to 24 organizations

In February, 2017 IBM announced expansion of list of participants of a global initiative of Watson Health Medical Imaging Collaborative to 24 organizations. New partners of the program will introduce the medical and industry expertize and will be connected to collaboration in problem solving, connected with diseases of an eye, brain, breast, heart and associated diseases.

The Froedtert hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin (USA), IDx LLC, PrivaCors, Strategic Radiology, Sutter Health and Pacific Radiology Group, University of Michigan companies and the University of a health care system of Virginia joined founders of an initiative.

"The joint initiative of visualization of medical pictures is important for continuous training of Watson and development of cognitive solutions on image processing. Such tools will help to cope with the most acute world issues in the field of health care, – Ann Le Grand, the vice president of IBM for technologies of visualization Watson Health told. – In particular, participants of the program already helped during the developing and selection of data for the solution Watson Imaging Clinical Review".

2016: Creation of an initiative

In June, 2016 IBM announced an initiative of Watson Health Medical Imaging Collaborative within which medical solutions on the basis of the cognitive Watson platform (IBM Watson Health) will move ahead in the market of visual medical diagnostics.

16 members among whom — equipment manufacturers for diagnostic imaging, software developers, the medical centers and suppliers of radiological services were a part of IBM Watson Health Medical Imaging Collaborative:

• Merge Healthcare, IBM companies
• Agfa HealthCare,
• Medical Anne Arundel center,
• Baptist Health South Florida,
• Medical school of East Virginia,
• Hologic,
• ifa systems AG,
• inoveon,
• Radiology Associates of South Florida,
• Sentara Healthcare,
• Sheridan Healthcare,
• Topcon,
• UC San Diego Health,
• University of a health care system of Miami,
• Medical school of the University of Vermont,
• vRad,
• MEDNAX.

Cooperation of these companies will concern development of methods of early detection of symptoms of cancer and diabetes and also diseases of eyes, a brain and heart by medical visualization, such as X-rays or magnetic rezonansna I am a tomography.

IBM creates alliance for promotion of Watson in the market of visual medical diagnostics

We carried out a huge number of researches in this area, any other company did not make it alone — the vice president of IBM for technologies of visualization Watson Health Anne Le Grand says. — The concept of consolidation of efforts will help to make a number of important discoveries in short terms so we will be able quickly to bring the relevant decisions to the commercial market.

According to Ann Le Grand, capability of cognitive calculations to make the broad analytical picture on the basis of the integrated structured and unstructured data sources will allow to change approach to diagnostics, treatment of patients and control of them.

The essence of an initiative of IBM Watson Health Medical Imaging Collaborative is in creating technologies which will be able to predict development of this or that disease on the basis of processing of clinical images and data bulks.

For example, cardiologists can use Watson for risk identification of approach of heart attack at patients with breast pain, and ophthalmologists — to foretell development of a diabetic retinopathy (a basic reason of a blindness at patients with diabetes) at people with poor eyesight.^[1]

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