Future Technology City
Alibaba Medical AI Model
Recognized by International Authorities!
Recently, the AI model for pancreatic cancer screening developed by Lake House Laboratory (Alibaba DAMO Academy) – DAMO PANDA, has been recognized by the FDA as a “Breakthrough Medical Device”!
The FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) established the “Breakthrough Medical Device” designation in 2016 to address significant diseases threatening human health and to encourage the development of innovative medical technologies. This is also the first time a leading Chinese technology company has received this authoritative recognition.
Why was the pancreatic cancer screening AI model DAMO PANDA able to obtain this international authoritative recognition? Let’s take a look!
Pancreatic cancer is known as the “king of cancers” and has the highest mortality rate among malignant tumors, primarily due to its extremely low early diagnosis rate, with over 80% of patients diagnosed at an advanced stage. Globally, the incidence of pancreatic cancer is rapidly increasing and becoming more prevalent among younger individuals. Early screening and diagnosis will not only significantly improve patient survival rates but also reduce their economic burden and suffering.
Lake House Laboratory (Alibaba DAMO Academy) was the first to propose the “CT scan + AI” pancreatic cancer screening technology, which uses AI to identify subtle lesions in CT images that are difficult for the human eye to detect, and in collaboration with top medical institutions worldwide, developed DAMO PANDA, achieving large-scale early screening for pancreatic cancer internationally for the first time, with sensitivity and specificity reaching 92.9% and 99.9% respectively. Related research was published in the prestigious international journal Nature Medicine, which described it as “expected to usher in a golden era of imaging AI cancer screening.”
DAMO PANDA enhances the detection rate of early pancreatic cancer in a non-invasive manner, especially suitable for “opportunistic screening” scenarios where patients undergo CT scans during routine check-ups or for other medical conditions.In May 2024, DAMO Academy was invited to share this technological achievement at the United Nations AI for Good Summit and reached a collaboration with the WHO Digital Health Collaboration Center to assist more developing countries in combating cancer.
Currently, DAMO PANDA is undergoing research pilot programs in multiple locations across China. For example, Ningbo University Affiliated People’s Hospital has screened over 40,000 people, with AI identifying 2 cases of early pancreatic cancer that were missed by routine examinations, one of which had a lesion size of only 1.5 cm, and the patient subsequently underwent surgical treatment. Moving forward, DAMO Academy will collaborate with medical partners such as Anhui Technology to further promote this AI model both domestically and internationally.
Lake House Laboratory (Alibaba DAMO Academy) is one of the four provincial laboratories in Future Technology City, and has focused on medical AI since its inception, having been recognized as a national advanced collective in science and technology for epidemic prevention by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Lake House Laboratory (Alibaba DAMO Academy) is actively exploring “one scan, multiple screenings,” which aims to identify multiple cancers and other diseases through a single CT scan, and has achieved a series of research breakthroughs in high-incidence cancers such as pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, as well as chronic diseases like osteoporosis and fatty liver, and acute conditions like aortic syndrome. Related results have been published in international journals such as Nature Medicine, Nature Communications, and presented at top academic conferences like CVPR, MICCAI, and IPMI.
Qingshan Lake Technology City
Ensuring the “Health Check” for Robots on Duty
Robot Service Platform Launched in Lin’an
In the current wave of technological advancement and the sweeping intelligent revolution, humanoid robots with “agile limbs” and “smart brains” are racing in popular industrial tracks. However, for these seemingly omnipotent robots to perform their duties stably and efficiently, pre-employment “health checks” are crucial.
Recently, the key core components and engineering innovation service platform for humanoid robots (hereinafter referred to as the robot platform) was launched in Qingshan Lake Technology City, and a robot industry matchmaking promotion meeting was held, gathering representatives from over 30 enterprises and institutions in the humanoid robot industry, along with nearly a hundred experts deeply engaged in the field of robotics, to share new dynamics and trends in robot industry development.
The Qingshan Lake Technology City robot platform launched this time is the only humanoid robot technology service platform in China and one of the few internationally. This platform primarily provides full-process testing and verification services for performance testing, lifespan assessment, and reliability analysis of key core components of humanoid robots. Compared to other technology platforms, this platform can conduct research and development of advanced humanoid robot key core components, as well as pilot and small-batch production.
It is reported that the platform is equipped with “4 centers + 1 laboratory,” including a planetary roller screw technology R&D center, a technology testing center, an engineering testing center, as well as a linear electric drive joint technology R&D center and a performance evaluation and reliability verification laboratory for humanoid robot-related core components.
The humanoid robot industry is currently in a critical stage of vigorous development, and for Qingshan Lake Technology City, it is situated within a macro environment that is improving, along with a solid foundation for its own industrial development. At present, the robot industry in Qingshan Lake Technology City is gathering numerous outstanding enterprises excelling in various sub-sectors. There are companies like UBTECH and Hangcha Intelligent making significant strides in the fields of complete machine R&D and production, Hechuan Technology and Xinjian Transmission focusing on robot joints, and Wanma Special Cable and Derun Oil creating the “neural pathways” for robots, among others.In 2024, the total output value of the robot industry in Qingshan Lake Technology City is expected to exceed 1.3 billion yuan.
“The launch of this platform will build bridges for the 11 enterprises in the park along the robot industry chain, facilitating multidimensional cooperation in major scientific and technological projects, core component development, and product applications, promoting the industrialization and quality enhancement of core components for humanoid robots in China,” said a relevant person in charge of Qingshan Lake Technology City. Moving forward, Qingshan Lake Technology City willfocus on the sub-industrial tracks of complete robots, key components of robots, and robot software algorithms, comprehensively optimize the industrial ecosystem, and support the development of the robot industry cluster.
