Ibex Introduces Galen Gastric, World's First AI-powered Solution for Gastrointestinal Cancer Diagnostics, at Maccabi Healthcare Services

TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ibex Medical Analytics, the pioneer in artificial intelligence (AI)-based cancer diagnostics, and KSM, the Research and Innovation Center of Maccabi Healthcare Services, Israel's leading HMO, today announced the deployment of Galen™ Gastric at Maccabi's pathology institute, making it the first laboratory in the world to use AI for detecting cancer in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Gastric cancer is among the most common malignant diseases in both men and women worldwide, with over a million new cases each year. Pathologists play a crucial role in the detection and diagnosis of cancer, with their assessments being vital for reaching correct treatment decisions by oncologists and improving patient survival rates. 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, pathologists 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 control^[1], reduce turnaround time and boost productivity^[2], and has demonstrated outstanding accuracy and utility in clinical studies^[3],[4]. 

Galen Gastric is an integrated diagnostics and quality control solution that supports pathologists in the detection of gastric cancer, dysplasia, H. pylori and other important clinical findings. The solution is an addition to Galen Prostate and Galen Breast that have already been deployed at Maccabi Healthcare Services, as well as other labs worldwide, where they are used in everyday clinical practice. With this deployment, Maccabi becomes the only 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.

"We are excited to add Galen Gastric to what is the most comprehensive AI deployment in pathology, supporting us in providing quality diagnosis to our patients," said Judith Sandbank, MD, Director of the Pathology Institute at Maccabi Healthcare Services. "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. We look forward to benefiting from its new insights in everyday practice."

"Galen Gastric demonstrates that our Strong AI is the leading approach for empowering pathologists with solutions that support their real-world needs," said Dr. Chaim Linhart, Co-founder and CTO of Ibex. "The Galen platform, recently granted Breakthrough Device Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 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." 

Ibex will exhibit in the 33^rd European Congress of Pathology, taking place virtually between August 29 and August 31. 

About Ibex Medical Analytics

Ibex pioneers AI-powered cancer diagnostics in pathology. We empower physicians to provide every patient with an accurate, timely and personalized cancer diagnosis by developing clinical-grade AI algorithms and digital workflows that help detect and grade cancer in biopsies. Our Galen™ platform is the first-ever AI-powered integrated diagnostics solution in pathology and used in routine clinical practice worldwide, supporting pathologists and providers in improving the quality and accuracy of diagnosis, implementing comprehensive quality control, reducing turnaround times and boosting productivity with more efficient workflows. Ibex's Artificial Intelligence technology is 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.

About KSM

KSM (Kahn-Sagol-Maccabi) is the Research and Innovation center of Maccabi Healthcare Services, Israel's leading HMO, was founded in 2016 in cooperation with Morris Kahn and Sami Sagol. KSM has unique access to Maccabi's professional abilities and wealth of medical knowledge, including a large database of 2.5 million members with 30 years of data collection. KSM's activities range throughout a wide range of health areas affecting patients worldwide through several arms: An Innovation & Big Data arm, utilizing advanced data sources and AI technologies. Additionally KSM has founded Israel's largest Biobank which has over 500K samples collected. KSM also has a Clinical Research unit, and a highly awarded Epidemiological Research department. KSM leads advanced global health improvements collaborating with well-known scientists, researchers, academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, startups, and tech companies to create and expedite medical breakthroughs, as well as co-operations within the global health ecosystem allowing groundbreaking discoveries and solutions - shaping the future of health. www.ksminnovation.com

Media Contacts                                                                                                               
Eitan Goldstein
GK for Ibex
[email protected]

[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 

SOURCE Ibex Medical Analytics