Out of Israel comes word that Tel Aviv-based Ibex Medical Analytics, the maker of AI-based cancer diagnostic software, has launched a new solution to detect cancer in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

According to the company, Ibex’s Galen software uses AI-based algorithms to help pathologists analyze biopsies and improve the quality of cancer diagnosis, and the company’s newest solution, the Galen Gastric, is a new integrated diagnostics tool that supports pathologists in the detection of gastric cancer, dysplasia and other clinical findings.

The company says it will launch the tool at KSM (Kahn-Sagol-Maccabi), the research and innovation center of Maccabi Healthcare Services, Israel’s second-largest HMO.

Having received breakthrough device designation by the US FDA in June, Dr. Chaim Linhart, co-founder and CTO of Ibex, said in a statement that “Galen Gastric demonstrates that our strong AI is the leading approach for empowering pathologists with solutions that support their real-world needs,” and he added, that the platform “lays the foundation to clinical-grade computational solutions that accurately identify dozens of features and become the physician’s perfect companion, helping provide every patient with an accurate, timely and personalized cancer diagnosis.”

The Galen platform offers the Ibex First Read, an application that analyzes cases prior to human pathologist review, enabling case prioritization, as well as the Ibex Second Read, a system that works in parallel with human pathologists review to identify any discrepancies. As part of the agreement between Ibex and Maccabi, all scans for gastric cancer examined by the pathologists will also undergo review in the Second Read system, for a combined diagnostic process.

With the rollout of the Galen Gastric, Maccabi says it will become the first health system in the world to use AI for multi-tissue cancer detection on breast, prostate and gastric biopsies, “supporting their pathologists with improved accuracy, quality control, and efficiency.”

Said Dr. Judith Sandbank, director of the Pathology Institute at Maccabi, “The clinical benefits from using Ibex’s AI solutions have been the key driver in Maccabi’s decision to fully adopt digital pathology, and we are impressed by how fast AI technology has become an indispensable part of our diagnostic pathway.”

“The clinical benefits from using Ibex’s AI solutions have been the key driver in Maccabi’s decision to fully adopt digital pathology, and we are impressed by how fast AI technology has become an indispensable part of our diagnostic pathway,” said Dr. Judith Sandbank, director of the Pathology Institute at Maccabi.

In addition to helping pathologists analyze biopsies and improve the quality of cancer diagnosis, the company says the platform can also help implement real-time quality control, reduce diagnosis time and boost productivity.

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