AI technology will be added to precision radiation therapy to provide optimized and customized precision treatment for cancer patients in Korea
[Medical News Today] A global radiation cancer treatment device company and a leading Korean AI radiation cancer treatment software company have joined hands to research AI-based solutions specialized for radiation treatment of cancer patients in Korea. It is expected to be the first step in a new leap forward as the role of radiation therapy is becoming more important in overcoming cancer.
Elekta Korea (CEO Jong-won Lee) announced on the 17th that it has signed a business agreement (MOU) with Oncosoft (CEO Jin-sung Kim) to jointly research, train, and supply artificial intelligence-based solutions specialized in radiation therapy for cancer patients in Korea.
Through this collaboration, the two companies will add locally developed AI-based solutions to existing precision radiation therapy to provide optimal and customized precision cancer treatment to domestic cancer patients and help hospitals improve treatment efficiency.
Radiation therapy technology has been advancing rapidly in recent years. The first Elekta 'Unity' machine in Korea is equipped with 1.5 Tesla MR, the highest-specification cancer treatment machine, which allows patients to view high-resolution MR images in real time before and during treatment.
The optimal treatment environment for customized precision radiotherapy strategies has been established in Korea. It is expected to become a trend to treat only the cancer with high energy, which greatly reduces the number of treatments and lowers side effects, instead of treating the cancer in 20 to 30 sessions like the existing treatment method. If AI functions are added to this in the future, it is expected to be an opportunity to lead a big leap forward in the overall patient-centered cancer treatment strategy.
"Based on my experience in introducing advanced radiotherapy devices to Korea and visiting various leading institutions overseas, I can assure you that Korea's radiotherapy is world-class," said Jinseong Kim, CEO of ONCOSOFT. "The number of advanced radiotherapy devices is increasing, and the rate of radiotherapy is gradually increasing due to the dedicated treatment of high-quality medical staff."
"The recent introduction of state-of-the-art treatment devices and AI solutions is creating new opportunities where none existed before, and the results of the past year have shown that proven AI SW can be fully utilized in domestic treatment environments where 100% foreign SW is currently used."
We look forward to collaborating with Elekta, a global company, to actively supply the existing OncoStudio to the Korean market and open new opportunities for collaboration on the global expansion of OncoSoft's AI solutions that address diverse clinical needs."
"Elekta's state-of-the-art radiotherapy equipment has been proven to be superior in terms of treatment effectiveness and safety at leading institutions around the world, especially when combined with the treatment know-how of medical institutions, and our collaboration with Oncosoft will enable us to provide cancer treatment solutions based on artificial intelligence algorithms that are embedded with the treatment experience of Korea's leading cancer treatment centers for Korean cancer patients," said Mr. Shin.
"This will enable AI-based customized precision radiotherapy that is optimized for Korean cancer patients and treatment environments," said Shin, adding, "We are very excited about the opportunity to benchmark our model overseas based on the results in Korea."
Meanwhile, Oncosoft is the first AI startup in the field of radiotherapy in Korea in 2019, founded by Professor Jin Sung Kim of Yonsei University College of Medicine with his colleagues.
Since Onkostudio's approval by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (February 22, 2020), which increases the accuracy, consistency, and efficiency of precision cancer treatment based on AI in the medical field, the company has recorded sales of more than KRW 1 billion through sales to major domestic hospitals such as Samsung Medical Center, Sinchon Severance Hospital, and Seoul National University Hospital last year, and is striving to open up new markets for medical AI in Korea through future product advancement and global expansion such as the United States and Japan based on the recent Series A investment of KRW 3.5 billion.
Elekta has been a leader in the field of precision radiation therapy for the past 50 years and was founded in 1972 by Professor Lars Rexell of Karolinska University in Sweden, who developed the gamma knife, a breakthrough in the treatment of brain diseases.
Starting with the introduction of Asia's first Gamma Knife machine in 1990 at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, Korea, more than 80 advanced treatment solutions, including Gamma Knife Icon, Vulsa HD, and the country's first high-resolution, real-time MR-based Unity treatment machine recently installed at Severance Hospital in Gangnam, are currently in operation at major hospitals in Korea in the areas of radiosurgery and therapy.
