The tech company’s research institute, Damo Academy, received a “breakthrough device” classification from the U.S. regulatory body for its artificial intelligence model designed to detect pancreatic cancer, known as Damo Panda.
Alibaba Group Holding
‘Ss research division, Damo Academy, has received significant approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a particular project.
artificial intelligence (AI)
-powered cancer detection tool, as Chinese technology giants look to play a larger role in the global healthcare industry.
The FDA granted the “breakthrough device” designation to the research group’s Damo Panda model, allowing for an expedited review and approval process, Alibaba said in a statement on Thursday. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
In November 2023, Alibaba unveiled Damo Panda, an innovation aimed at detecting pancreatic cancer, as detailed in a research paper published in a medical journal.
Nature Medicine
. The tool can effectively detect early-stage malignancies in asymptomatic patients, according to the paper.
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Panda is a deep learning model trained on abdominal non-contrast computed tomography (CT) scans of 3,208 pancreatic cancer patients. Testing showed a 34.1 per cent higher sensitivity than radiologists in identifying the disease, Damo researchers said at the time.
Alibaba has already deployed Damo Panda in trials across China, the company said on Thursday. It has screened 40,000 people at a hospital in the eastern city of Ningbo, where it identified six early-stage cases, including two missed by routine exams, the company said last month.
Alibaba established Damo Academy in 2017, with focus areas including AI and the open-source chip architecture RISC-V. The research group is behind a series of RISC-V processors named XuanTie, which includes a
server-grade central processing unit
announced in February.
Damo Academy will next promote the AI model, both domestically and overseas, by partnering with firms such as Ankon Medical Technologies, Alibaba said.
In recent years, AI has become a revolutionary tool in medical imaging, as research indicates that it can perform at par or even outperform human specialists in analyzing images. Additionally, these models have demonstrated their proficiency in improving the quality of medical imagery.
Among several major Chinese technology companies investing heavily in healthcare-focused AI applications, Alibaba stands out.
In February, the large Chinese telecommunications equipment company
Huawei Technologies
launched a large AI pathology model with Shanghai-based Ruijin Hospital, which aims to help doctors in cancer diagnostics. The company has put together a new team focused on the medical and healthcare industry, Chinese media reported in March.
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