VEON's Beeline to bring mobile AI to health care

Beeline is teaming up with Sechenov Medical University to rapidly diagnose diseases and conditions in traumatology and histology.

Beeline is a subsidiary of telecommunications firm VEON. Per reports, the Sechenov-Beeline partnership will pioneer the use of neural network and pattern-matching algorithms for early detection of kidney disease, hip joint damage, and potentially cancerous cells.

In addition, the contract stipulates the use of Beeline's artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Lisa Alert. Beeline developed Lisa Alert as part of an initiative to locate and rescue missing people in Russia. Lisa Alert employs a comprehensive algorithm suite to track individuals using drone imagery. Medics at Moscow’s Sechenov Medical University will now have access to the same AI technology.

"Medicine is a new and very interesting area of research in terms of information technology," explains George Held, group director of digital operations at VEON.

Held added, "In cooperation with Sechenov University, we plan to create breakthrough products based on artificial intelligence and big data analytics that will enable medical professionals to speed up diagnoses and facilitate their work. We truly believe that our cooperation will contribute to saving lives and halt the development of critical diseases."

Specifically, Beeline and Sechenov Medical University will develop AI software and data analytics to facilitate the early diagnosis of trauma and histologic conditions.

For example, in traumatology, AI can help detect hip conditions at an earlier stage, thereby improving non-surgical outcomes. Additionally, AI analytics will help physicians identify pathologies, such as synovitis, cartilage lesions, and anomalies in subchondral structures. AI will also assist in the classification of histological sections obtained from kidney and intestinal biopsies.

"The technology developed by mobile operators now spans far beyond connectivity and embraces applications that help individuals live longer healthier lives," explains Aleksandr Torbakhov, Beeline CEO.

"The use of Beeline's AI technology in medical diagnosis demonstrates the contribution that mobile operators can make in this vital field, and we are proud to be part of this initiative with Sechenov Medical University."

The Sechenov-Beeline’s novel pattern recognition technology is also slated for use in oncology to help predict the likelihood of kidney cancer.