New AI platform to strengthen diagnoses in future Region of Eastern Denmark

The image is generated with AI.

A new public-private partnership, with an investment from Innovation Fund Denmark, will solve one of the biggest challenges in healthcare: getting artificial intelligence out of the testing lab and into clinical departments for the benefit of patients and healthcare professionals. The goal is to expand the use of controlled artificial intelligence in healthcare.

The amount of image data in Danish hospitals is increasing exponentially. So are the possible uses for image data - from diagnosing bone fractures to cancer or skin and eye diseases. Without the use of new technology to handle the increased data volumes and the use of data, the pressure on the capacity of the healthcare system will grow. With the use of artificial intelligence (AI), the pressure can be eased significantly, provided that quality and patient and data security are controlled.

The Grand Solutions project CLIC-BAIT (Clinical Imaging Consortium for Broader Application of AI Technology) will come up with a solution that can increase the use of controlled AI. With an investment from Innovation Fund Denmark of DKK 15.8 million, the partners behind the project will develop a modular IT architecture over the next three years that makes it possible to develop, test, validate and monitor AI solutions in the diagnostic imaging field, which covers, among other things, radiology, pathology, clinical physiology and the eye area.

A safe highway for healthcare AI

The CLIC-BAIT platform will be developed in partnership between private companies and in close collaboration with IT and data experts, doctors and researchers in the Region of Eastern Denmark. The long-term goal is that the platform can be used by all regions in Denmark, thereby ensuring closer cooperation between the regions in relation to the development and use of AI solutions.

The partnership builds on the experiences from previous projects and the work in RAIT - Radiological Artificial Intelligence Test Center at Gentofte and Herlev Hospital as well as Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital.

- Innovation Fund Denmark's investment enables us to build the necessary bridge between advanced technology and clinical reality. CLIC-BAIT is about creating a safe 'highway' for artificial intelligence in the field of diagnostic imaging, so that we can scale solutions that work in one region to the entire country. This ensures a consistently high quality of treatment, regardless of where in Denmark you are examined. And it should help give time back to the clinical staff, and thus help ease the increasing pressure on the healthcare system, says Martin Magelund Rasmussen, Group Director of Region Eastern Denmark.

From research to commercial scaling

The project brings together leading technology suppliers and clinical experts to ensure that the technical solutions also have global commercial potential.

- We see a massive international need for platforms that can securely handle data that supports the entire lifecycle of clinical AI solutions. Through CLIC-BAIT, we integrate leading Open Source tools with the existing IT and data landscape in the healthcare sector. This creates a unique foundation for growth and export of Danish health technology solutions, while helping our own healthcare system become safer and more efficient, says Troels Bierman Mortensen, Project Manager, DataFair.

Adam Espe Hansen, Clinical Professor and Center Director in DEPICT at Rigshospitalet, elaborates:

- For diagnostics, it is crucial that the great potential of AI is exploited in a way that makes sense. With this platform, we get the tools to continuously monitor that the algorithms are performing exactly as they should, whether it is about following up on cancer treatment or quickly finding bone fractures. Ultimately, it is about patient safety and selecting the algorithms that provide value for the patient and the healthcare system.

Facts about the project:

• Name: CLIC-BAIT (Clinical Imaging Consortium for Broader Application of AI Technology).
• Innovation Fund Denmark's investment: DKK 15.8 million.
• Total budget: DKK 24.0 million.
• Duration: 3 years.
• Partners: Region Hovedstaden/Region East Denmark (CØK, RAIT, DEPICT), DataFair ApS and 2021.ai ApS
• Focus: Development of national IT infrastructure for AI within, among others, radiology, pathology, dermatology and ophthalmology.