Ibex And Sana Kliniken Berlin-Brandenburg Partner To Bring AI-Powered Cancer Diagnostics To Germany

Tel Aviv and Berlin /PRNewswire/ - Ibex Medical Analytics, the pioneer in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cancer diagnostics and Sana Kliniken Berlin-Brandenburg, part of Sana Kliniken AG - the third largest private hospital group in Germany, today announced the first deployment and clinical evaluation in Germany of an AI platform that supports pathologists during routine cancer diagnosis.

Pathologists play a crucial role in the detection and diagnosis of disease, with their assessments vital in reaching correct treatment decisions by oncologists. However, a rise in cancer prevalence and advances in personalized medicine have resulted in growing diagnostic complexity that significantly increases pathologists' workloads. In recent years, as pathology labs transition towards digital solutions, pathologist can implement AI-enhanced workflows to improve quality and efficiency of cancer diagnosis, resulting in better patient care.

Ibex transforms cancer diagnosis by harnessing Strong AI and machine learning technology at an unprecedented scale. Ibex's Galen platform helps pathologists improve the quality of cancer diagnosis, implement real-time quality control¹, reduce diagnosis time, and boost productivity². It is CE marked for breast and prostate cancer detection in multiple workflows, and was recently granted Breakthrough Device Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Galen has already demonstrated outstanding outcomes in clinical studies^3,4, and has been deployed in labs worldwide where it is used as part of everyday clinical practice.

The Sana Klinikum Lichtenberg is the major hospital of the Sana Kliniken Berlin-Brandenburg. It operates the largest certified colorectal cancer centre in the Berlin area, as well as certified cancer centres for pancreatic, gastric, breast and gynecological cancers. Sana is currently digitizing its pathology labs using Philips' IntelliSite Pathology Solution⁵, deploying a network of high-throughput digital pathology scanners, an image management system and an integrated lab information system. As part of the partnership with Ibex, pathologists at Sana will use the Galen platform in routine practice, and evaluate the clinical impact of using AI during diagnosis of multiple tissue types in various workflows.

"Quality diagnosis delivered on-time is paramount for us at Sana, and we are committed to continually improving the processes in our lab," said Prof. Gerald Niedobitek, MD, Head of Pathology at the Sana Klinikum Berlin-Lichtenberg. "We were among the pioneers in adopting digital pathology in Germany, and are proud to be among the first laboratories in the country to implement artificial intelligence in routine diagnostic pathology. We look forward to working closely with Ibex on demonstrating the clinical benefits of AI and how it can help improve patient care."

"We are excited to team up with Sana Kliniken Berlin-Brandenburg and empower their pathologists with AI-powered solutions to more accurately detect cancer and improve quality and efficiency of diagnosis," said Stuart Shand, Chief Commercial Officer at Ibex Medical Analytics. "This partnership further proves Sana's commitment to its patients, leading by example to ensure the best possible outcomes. Artificial intelligence and digital pathology technologies are becoming the new standard in cancer care, a mission both Sana and Ibex are proud to be part of."

About Sana Kliniken Berlin-Brandenburg
Sana Kliniken Berlin-Brandenburg is part of the Sana Kliniken AG. It operates hospitals in Berlin-Lichtenberg, Sommerfeld and Templin, as well as a large number of health centres for outpatients in the area, taking care of 340.000 patients annually. 25 private health insurance companies (PKV), who are pivotal parts of the healthcare system in Germany, form the group of owners as shareholders of Sana Kliniken AG. The company is not listed.

About Ibex Medical Analytics
Ibex uses AI to develop clinical-grade solutions that help pathologists detect and grade cancer in biopsies. The Galen™ platform is the first-ever AI-powered cancer diagnostics solution in routine clinical use in pathology and deployed worldwide, empowering pathologists to improve diagnostic accuracy, integrate comprehensive quality control and enable more efficient workflows. Ibex's solutions are built on Deep Learning algorithms trained by a team of pathologists, data scientists and software engineers. For more information, go to www.ibex-ai.com.

¹ Sandbank J et al, Deployment of a Multi-Tissue AI-based Quality Control System in Routine Clinical Workflow. European Conference of Pathology 2020: https://ibex-ai.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Maccabi-IBEX-ECP2020-poster.pdf

² Raoux D, et al, Novel AI Based Solution for Supporting Primary Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer Increases the Accuracy and Efficiency of Reporting in Clinical Routine. USCAP 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XuWK8PmUlw

³ The LANCET Digital Health, Aug 2020, Pantanowitz et al, An artificial intelligence algorithm for prostate cancer diagnosis in whole slide images of core needle biopsies: a blinded clinical validation and deployment study https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landig/article/PIIS2589-7500(20)30159-X/fulltext

⁴ Laifenfeld D et al, AI-Based Solution for Cancer Diagnosis in Prostate Core Needle Biopsies: A Prospective Blinded Multi-Site Clinical Study. USCAP 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nDiJY90v9c

⁵ Niedobitek G et al. Die Pathologie wird digital. f&w 4/2019, 380-382. https://www.bibliomedmanager.de/fw/artikel/37810-die-pathologie-wird-digital

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