IDx, LLC, the diagnostic algorithm company founded by University of Iowa retina physician Dr. Michael D. Abramoff, took an important step forward by joining a major imaging collaboration led by IBM.
The IBM Watson Health Medical Imaging Collaborative brings together leading health systems, medical centers, private practices, and artificial intelligence and machine learning companies. Combining medical insights from this group with unstructured and structured data, the goal is to develop cognitive imaging solutions that address the world’s most pressing health challenges – from identifying and predicting the risk of cancer, to diagnosing and managing diseases of the eye, brain, breast, and heart.
“IDx is tremendously pleased that IBM recognizes the value that the company will contribute to the Watson Health Imaging Collaborative, especially given the caliber of the other members,” says Dr. Abramoff. “Over the past decades, productivity in healthcare has not kept pace with other sectors. Patients and providers worldwide are paying the price. Our mission at IDx has always been to transform the quality, accessibility, and affordability of global healthcare through the automation of medical screening and diagnosis.”
Abramoff is professor of ophthalmology and visuals sciences, electrical and computer engineering, and biomedical engineering at the University of Iowa. He holds the Robert C. Watzke, MD Professorship of Retina Research at the Roy C. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. Also linked to the company are Dr. James C. Folk and Dr. Stephen R. Russell, both professors of ophthalmology and visual sciences. Folk is the Judith (Gardner) and Donald H. Beisner, MD, Professor of Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery, while Russell is the Dina J. Schrage Professor of Macular Degeneration Research. Each is a member of the University of Iowa Stephen A. Wynn Institute for Vision Research.
More about IDx, LLC at https://www.eyediagnosis.net
Dr. Abramoff discusses the future of image-based automated diagnostic algorithms to prevent diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases in the video above.