HONG KONG, May 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (hereafter "Ping An" or the "Group", HKEX: 2318; SSE: 601318) is pleased to announce that the subsidiary Ping An International Smart City Technology Co., Ltd. (hereafter "PAISCT"), has signed a research agreement with the Medical Artificial Intelligence Lab Program (MAIL) of the Department of Diagnostic Radiology at the University of Hong Kong (hereafter "MAIL") to clinically evaluate their artificial intelligence (AI) based optical coherence tomography (OCT)^[1] retinal disease^[2] screening system.

The AI OCT system is a screening and referral system for eye diseases, combining the analysis software employing artificial intelligence (AI) trained on input from clinical experts, optical coherence tomography (OCT) eye imaging technology and color fundus photography.

According to the agreement, the one year research project commences from May 2019 to April 2020. All clinical studies will be led by MAIL, under Professor Michael D. Kuo, Director of (MAIL) Program, together with Dr. Vince Vardhanabhuti, Clinical Assistant Professor from the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, HKU, and its clinical partner Dr. Jasper Wong, Clinical Assistant Professor from the Department of Ophthalmology, HKU. The project initially involves the recruitment of 500 patients, with continuous enrollment of consenting subjects. Both eyes OCT and fundus data generated by PAISCT's OCT and fundus AI tools will be collected. PAISCT provides AI models to do screening and generate a report. MAIL will be responsible for the clinical study design, implementation and analysis.

This cooperation aims to estimate the effectiveness of AI algorithm based on OCT multimodal imaging and fundus photography for disease screening and diagnosis and jointly explore the new workflow of patient management after using innovative technology. The signing marks the formal commencement of a new partnership between the two organizations, bringing together strengths and expertise to the benefit of Hong Kong patients and healthcare industry.

Notes to Editor

^[1] OCT is a high-resolution, non-contact and non-invasive diagnostic technique that renders an in vivo cross-sectional view of the retina. As with most diagnostic tests, patient cooperation is a necessity. Moreover, OCT relies on the operator to correctly align the device on the patient's eye for a proper retinal examination. The Ping An developed intelligent OCT retinal disease screening system focuses on the integration of an OCT retinal examination device with AI-powered screening software and applies the Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) technique in the model training process, facilitating disease detection accuracy and speed.

^[2] Retinal diseases are associated with progressive damage or degeneration of the eye macular, being the area in the center of the retina linked to eyesight or vision.

About Ping An

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. ("Ping An") is a world-leading technology-powered personal financial services group. With 184 million retail customers and 538 million Internet users, Ping An is one of the largest financial services companies in the world.

Ping An has two over-arching strategies 'pan financial assets' and 'pan healthcare', which focus on the provision of financial and healthcare services through our integrated financial services platform and our five ecosystems in financial services, healthcare, auto services, real estate services and Smart City services. Our 'finance + technology' and 'finance + ecosystems' strategies aim to provide customers and internet users with innovative and simple products and services. As China's first joint stock insurance company, Ping An Group is committed to upholding the highest standards of corporate reporting and corporate governance. The company is listed on the stock exchanges in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Ping An ranked 7^th in Forbes' 2019 Global 2000, and it ranked 29^th in Fortune Magazine's 2018 Global 500 Leading Companies. Ping An also ranked 43^rd in 2018 WPP Millward Brown's BrandZTM Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands. For more information, please visit www.pingan.cn

For enquiries, please contact:
Gareth Hewett @ +852 68822027 or gareth.john@pingan.com.hk 

SOURCE Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd.

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