AI-Powered Automatic Whole Slide Scanner for Malaria Detection.
Xiamen, China – Advanced microscope designer and manufacturer Motic China Group Co., a subsidiary of Motic (Xiamen) Electric Group Co. Ltd. (SHE:300341), announced today it will formally launch the generation one EasyScan Go system globally. The EasyScan Go system is a breakthrough AI-powered, whole slide scanner that promises to help in the fight against malaria – which kills 400,000 people annually – assist in case management and provide a standardized system for malaria detection across geographies and time.
This project was started in 2017 via a partnership with Global Good Fund, a collaborative effort between Bill Gates and Intellectual Ventures. Today, it is managed out of Global Health Labs. Global Health Labs is a nonprofit organization created by Gates Ventures (the private office of Bill Gates) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with the mission to develop innovative solutions to address unmet needs in primary healthcare centers and the last mile.
“After three years of development and close partnership with Global Good Fund, we are very excited to formally launch generation one of the AI-powered EasyScan Go. We were happy to see the system validated so positively as presented in two peer-reviewed papers during the recent 2020 ASTMH conference, and we are honored to be able to contribute to the global fight against malaria,” said Sebastian Nunnendorf, General Manager of Motic China Group. “The lack of access to WHO Level 1 and 2 trained microscopists has been an ongoing issue in regions with the highest malaria rates. The EasyScan Go will be able to provide a highly accurate, consistent, and affordable AI-assisted malaria detection solution worldwide. We believe the introduction of this system will provide measurable assistance in achieving the World Health Organization’s 2030 malaria goals of reducing malaria case incidence by at least 90 percent and eliminating malaria in at least 35 countries from the baseline in 2015”
“We are proud of the work we’ve done on the EasyScan Go, in particular because it is an efficient and effective tool to help the underserved. Detecting malaria accurately is the first step to treating it and being able to use advanced technologies to help us reduce the incidence of the disease in areas that have both high rates and low access to care will make a difference,” said Rob Jenison, head of Product Development at Global Health Labs.
With an estimated 229 million cases of malaria occurring worldwide in 2019, the threat of the disease remains one of the biggest public health issues globally. In recent years, researchers have identified the emergence and rapid spread of drug-resistant strains of malaria. Accurate detection of severe and drug-resistant cases requires blood smear analysis by WHO-certified expert microscopists of which there is a shortage globally, especially in hotspot areas. Automating this process with the help of solutions such as the EasyScan Go can not only help alleviate the scarcity issue of WHO-level certified microscopists, but also assists in the consistency and standardization of malaria diagnosis worldwide.
Motic Digital Pathology
Motic Digital Pathology addresses the growing global pathology care gap by making digital medicine approachable for hospitals, labs, and doctors everywhere. Motic promotes the adoption of telepathology through our innovative, cost-effective solutions developed directly in conjunction with partner pathologists.
As the medical division of Motic, a leader in the field of optics since 1988, Motic Digital Pathology is part of a global company innovating for a better tomorrow. Motic’s whole slide scanning and image management systems have now been deployed for millions of cases worldwide, and the division’s philanthropic initiatives leverage digital pathology technologies to solve today's most pressing and under-resourced health problems.
Global Health Labs
GH Labs is a nonprofit organization created in 2020 by Gates Ventures (the private office of Mr. Bill Gates) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with an inspiring and ambitious mission to develop innovative solutions to address unmet needs in primary healthcare and the last mile.
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