NVIDIA, which designs graphics processing units that form the basis of many machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies, launched an alliance for AI-focused medical imaging startups in partnership with GE Healthcare and Nuance.
The NVIDIA Inception Alliance for Healthcare will offer some members of the company’s accelerator program for AI and data sciences startups the chance to join the GE Healthcare Edison Developer Program and Nuance AI Marketplace for diagnostic imaging.
The accelerator program, called NVIDIA Inception, was launched in 2016 and includes 6,500 startups from 90 countries worldwide. The program offers the startups expertise and technology to help them launch and sell their offerings. The program recently added its 1,000th healthcare member.
“Startups get access to training through NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Institute, preferred pricing on hardware through our global network of distributors, invitations to exclusive networking events, and more,” Renee Yao, global healthcare AI startups lead at NVIDIA, said in an email.
The NVIDIA Inception Alliance for Healthcare aims to help startups grow through targeted networking, AI training, early access to technology, pitch competitions and technology integration. Premier members of NVIDIA Inception — startups that meet a certain set of criteria and receive additional benefits compared to community members of the accelerator program — are eligible to join the alliance.
“Helping these startups integrate into the screens and workflows that the radiology community trusts is of utmost importance, so we can really harness their amazing creativity and innovation and get it into the hands of both clinicians and patients alike,” said Kimberly Powell, vice president of healthcare at NVIDIA, during a press call.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
The alliance will give NVIDIA Inception members the opportunity to join the GE Healthcare Edison Developer Program, which helps independent software vendors and builders develop, manage, secure and distribute advanced applications, services and AI algorithms. By joining the Edison program, members will gain access to GE’s expansive customer network as well as 230 million exams and associated healthcare data.
The alliance will also allow startups that have clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to join the Nuance AI Marketplace for diagnostic imaging. The marketplace connects startups directly with radiology subscribers, Yao said. It provides the startups with a single application programming interface, which enables them to connect their AI solutions to radiologists at the more than 7,500 healthcare facilities that are a part of Nuance’s PowerShare medical imaging network.
“Startups are at the forefront of innovation, developing the solutions that will shape the future for generations to come,” Yao said. “Bringing together the world leaders in AI and healthcare to support these startups with the expertise, network, and infrastructure they require to achieve scale and adoption is critical to all of our success.”
Photo credit: Darunechka, Getty Images
