Written by Marta Caldeira, 24th September 2020
Founded by Dr Manish Patel and Dr Chetan Kaher in 2019, British startup Jiva.ai is transforming the world of healthcare by providing a much-needed framework for the integration of different artificial intelligence (AI) solutions.
In recent years, healthcare approaches have changed significantly to accommodate the increasing complexity of patient needs. Part of this change has been brought about by placing a greater emphasis on the use of AI models within the healthcare sector. Indeed, there are a plethora of AI solutions being developed for adoption into the NHS. While these solutions are crucial to improve standard care and patient outcomes, they typically target a single aspect of a particular disease. Consequently, these solutions alone can only address part of the problem. For instance, there might exist an AI model that addresses tumour growth as well as an AI model that addresses tumour vascularisation. Nonetheless, only by integrating the two can the fight against cancer be effectively won. Accordingly, the next great challenge that healthcare must face is to find a framework to integrate different AI solutions.
Fortunately for the healthcare system, Jiva.ai is a step ahead working to unify general AI through the process of model fusion. Model fusion is a process whereby different AI models are combined to deliver a better performance than any of the individual elements. It forms the basis of Jiva.ai technology. Named after the Sanskrit word for individual spirit, Jiva.ai functions as a community of individual AI solutions that cooperate to provide the user with an optimal output decision that is better than the sum of its parts. Importantly, this technology obeys the NHSx principle of algorithm explainability. Contrary to the ‘black box’ nature of most AI solutions, Jiva.ai allows users to backtrack into the system and understand why it came to a particular decision. The groundwork of this technology was conducted during Dr Patel’s PhD. Nevertheless, it was only when Professor Prokar Dasgupta offered Dr Patel and Dr Kaher a chance to apply the technology to prostate cancer that it was incorporated into a company.
The overarching goal of Jiva.ai is to create better AI that enables users to make the most of the available data. Therefore, when it became clear that the high prevalence of prostate cancer in the UK was linked to a high degree of subjectivity in the interpretation of diagnosis MRI data, the company began to generate an automated diagnosis tool. An AI model of prostate cancer MRI scans is currently in development. This model will then be integrated with AI proteomics and genomics models of prostate cancer through the Jiva.ai framework. Thereby, enabling clinicians to merge all available data into a single diagnosis output decision: cancer vs no cancer. In addition to prostate cancer, Jiva.ai is developing solutions to two other use-cases: liver disease diagnosis and bone fracture diagnosis. Liver disease is predictable from a 10 to 15-year horizon. Jiva.ai has teamed up with Manchester University to integrate demographic, pathological, and imaging data in an attempt to predict on a population basis which individuals are likely to develop the disease. These individuals can then be monitored to prevent the emergence of the disease. Similarly, Jiva.ai has partnered with Robert Gordon University to automate the diagnosis of bone fractures overnight in A&E.
Given the innovative nature of its technology and its numerous practical applications, it is no surprise that Jiva.ai has proven incredibly successful in the short time elapsed since its establishment. The company has been awarded multiple grants. Among which, an Innovate UK grant for liver disease early diagnosis is the latest. It has also established some impressive partnerships, including Roche Diagnostics and GE Healthcare. For Dr Patel, the secret to a successful company lies with its team. While having a good product is important, it is a strong and motivated team that will ultimately attract investors. In this context, Dr Patel says he is fortunate to work alongside extremely capable people such as his co-founder and long-time friend Dr Kaher, COO Sarah D’Souza, and funding strategist Dr Andrew Thompson. Another important determinant of a company’s success is networking. This is because a robust network will enable a company to penetrate the market before its competitors. In Dr Patel’s opinion, the best way to build such a network is to be a part of a well-connected and supportive accelerator programme such as the P4 Precision Medicine Accelerator Programme.
All things considered, Jiva.ai can provide measurable value to the healthcare sector. Not only does it provide a much-needed framework for the integration of different AI solutions, but it also enables smart diagnosis and proactive disease detection. Moreover, the agnostic nature of its technology means that it can be adapted to a variety of future use cases in the healthcare sector and otherwise. To invest in Jiva.ai is therefore to shape and invest in the future of healthcare.
For more information visit www.jiva.ai.