Global medical corporations Olympus Korea said on the 7th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with medical artificial intelligence (AI) solution developer Inex Corporation (hereafter Inex) to expand domestic business for the AI-based endoscopic image analysis software ENAD.
Inex is a specialized corporations that has developed medical AI software in the upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy field.
The company's flagship product, ENAD, is an AI diagnostic assistance solution for the entire field of upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy that has obtained Class 3 medical device approval from the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety. Using Deep Learning-based AI technology, it detects and diagnoses lesions in real time during gastroscopy and colonoscopy and displays them on the screen.
It can be linked with a variety of Olympus endoscopy equipment and is currently used at more than about 200 medical institutions in Korea.
Under this agreement, Olympus Korea will pursue collaboration in a range of areas through this partnership, including not only domestic sales of ENAD but also marketing and training activities. The two companies plan to continue working together to optimize ENAD for Olympus' systems.
The two companies agreed to continue business cooperation, including: ▲ collaboration on domestic sales, promotion, and marketing of ENAD products ▲ operation of programs for medical staff such as product demos, user training, and workshops ▲ establishing market expansion strategies and exchanging information ▲ supporting promotional activities such as academic conferences, exhibitions, and symposia.
Tamae Takeshi, head of Olympus Korea, said, "With this MOU, a foundation has been laid for Inex's ENAD to be used more widely in the domestic medical environment," and added, "We expect great synergy in improving the efficiency and accuracy of endoscopic diagnosis when the medical business network and training infrastructure that Olympus Korea has built domestically are combined with ENAD's technological capabilities."
Lee Hang-jae, head of Inex, said, "Through our partnership with Olympus Korea, this will serve as a starting point to fully expand the reach of ENAD's technological capabilities to more medical settings," and noted, "Based on the know-how of both companies, we will raise awareness of the usefulness of AI technology in domestic medical settings and drive qualitative improvements in endoscopic diagnosis."
Meanwhile, Olympus Korea is a global medical corporations that provides diagnostic and treatment solutions such as medical endoscopy, laparoscopy, and surgical equipment. In Oct. 2017, it invested about 37 billion won to build the Korea Training & Education Center (KTEC) in Songdo, Incheon, providing healthcare professionals with specialized product training and demonstration opportunities.