AI in Healthcare: Insights from the Healthcare Innovation Forum 

Recently, Head of Digital Health - Divisional Manager;Nick Mahoney had the privilege of participating in the pitching panel series at the Healthcare Innovation Forum, an event that showcased the immense potential of AI in healthcare. 

The event was nothing short of remarkable, drawing a crowd that filled every available space. In this article, Nick will share some key takeaways from this event, shedding light on the bright future that AI holds in the world of healthcare. We'll explore captivating presentations and discussions, touching on the potential for AI to optimise the back-office processes of the National Health Service (NHS) and the contrasting regulatory landscapes in Europe and the US. 

Finally, we'll dive into the promising ventures presented during the pitching series and highlight the outstanding vision of one company that stood out in harnessing AI for drug safety in drug discovery. 

Nick's Perspective: Exploring the Healthcare Innovation Forum's Key Takeaways 

It was great to be invited to the pitching panel series for the Healthcare Innovation Forum a couple of weeks ago. Firstly, I just wanted to say what an incredible event it was organised by the team at the Healthcare Forum; it was very much a standing-room only! 

I had a few main takeaways, but the main one is that the future is bright, and the future is AI. 

Following an intriguing keynote speech by Yanis Pandis from Pfizer, which delved into what AI means, the development within healthcare, and the various use cases. This set the scene for a night of thought-provoking discussions and presentations. 

I could name everyone on the panels as all of them brought up some great points, but I am going to delve into a couple of points that really stuck with me: 

Firstly, one of the biggest opportunities for AI adoption in healthcare is the back-office processes of the NHS. This was a point made by Harris Shuaib and James Teo across different panels focused on healthcare delivery and how AI has impacted in real terms. No doubt this will be a strong use case as we move away from just thinking about AI from a Diagnostics, Therapeutics, or Drug Discovery point of view in healthcare. While the former is very interesting and almost the 'sexy' side of using AI in healthcare settings, the need to maximise resource management and automate workflows is so important too. This would also allow clinicians to work at the top of their license and not be bogged down in administrative tasks. Studies have shown that this increases patient outcomes and job satisfaction of clinicians, both of which are pressing challenges within healthcare. 

Secondly, what stood out was the difference between healthcare systems when it came to regulatory approval. Europe is ahead. The US requires that you have regulatory approval for an individual indication within your algorithm, rather than being slightly broader. Dan Jones from Gleamer explained the following. For Gleamer, they have to have approval for their AI algorithm for fractures on separate bones in the US. Whereas within Europe, Gleamer just needed to gain approval for an AI-based device that used Radiology data to diagnose bone fractures. Thus allowing them to enact a multi-indication rollout of their product instantly. 

The pitching series then began, and we listened to four amazing pitches. Choosing a winner was mighty tough, but in the end, Ignota Labs just pipped it. Sam's vision and proposition are exceptional, and we are looking forward to helping them grow and continue to expand and harness AI within the drug safety arena of drug discovery.