Christine Yip, founder and CEO of AusMed Global Limited under Hong Kong Science Park Company, gives a speech on "The Rise of Innovative MedTech in Hong Kong". (PHOTO / WANG YUKE)
Against the backdrop of big data and artificial intelligence, every industry is vying to get ahead of the curve in AI usage. Medical and biotech companies in Hong Kong have staked a claim to that turf, with a dazzling array of high-tech medical appliances on display at a medical fair in the city.
The Hong Kong International Medical and Healthcare Fair is in full swing at Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre until Thursday, with advanced medical and healthcare solutions, insightful presentations and networking opportunities with industry leaders.
Leveraging AI analytics capacity to demystify human society’s conundrums is a practice across all industries and it is prevalent across the medical field requiring the processing of massive amounts of data for dissection and identifying patterns and correlations
These offer glimpses into the life-changing agency of technology when it’s developed in medical and healthcare applications to save lives and improve well-being.
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Among the cutting-edge medical devices is a breath ketone-testing gadget in a slick metallic design. This offers a portable, reliable alternative to the traditionally invasive finger-prick blood ketone meters as well as messy and time-consuming urine ketone-testing strips for diabetes and ketosis.
An important biomarker for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and ketosis or fat metabolism, the ketone index is considered a reliable indicator for early detection of DAK, a disease that can deteriorate rapidly without timely intervention and require immediate medical attention.
Those at risk of DKA include but are not limited to Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes treated with SGLT2 inhibitors, and pregnant women with diabetes. DKA during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. It is important to frequently monitor the level of ketones in the body, as failure to receive timely treatment due to misdiagnosis or delayed treatment can be life-threatening.
The power of machine learning is tapped in the development of the product. “Everyone breathes at different rates and flows. How could we capture and accommodate the individual distinctiveness for accuracy? We resorted to machine learning,” said Christine Yip, founder and CEO of AusMed Global Limited under the Hong Kong Science Park Company, who gave a speech on Wednesday on the “The Rise of Innovative MedTech in Hong Kong”.
Not only does AI technology contribute to the development of the medical device, ketone data generated by users will also feed and enlarge the data set relevant to research in DKA, diabetes and other dietetic complications. That’s the long-term vision of AusMed Global.
“With the first generation of breath ketone tool being available, we can allow clinicians and researchers globally to work with patients and with a very big data collector to get a better indication of DKA, diabetes and other diseases (where ketone is considered a crucial indicator of the condition).”
If the non-invasive handy breath device fares well, the data collected can be embedded in other data analytic systems, to realize the potential of this biomarker in other chronic diseases, Yip added.
Leveraging AI analytics capacity to demystify human society’s conundrums is a practice across all industries and it is prevalent across the medical field requiring the processing of massive amounts of data for dissection and identifying patterns and correlations.
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The snag is that if testing for volunteer patients is painful and taxing, it will deter them from participating, which means researchers will have less data to mine. But the very convenient and non-invasive method is expected to encourage more case studies,” said Yip.
A breath ketone testing gadget designed by AusMed Global, offers a non-invasive, accurate and handy alternative to transitional methods for early detection and regular monitoring of diabetic ketoacidosis and other diabetic chronic diseases. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
The breath kit can also be synchronized with a novel KetoMetrics AI diet mobile application, where a daily record of diet and habitual data can be tracked any time and anywhere. All diet and health data can be incorporated and factors in doctors’ and dieticians’ assessment of each patient, which ensures a more comprehensive and accurate prescription and diagnosis, said Yip.
Hong Kong has made advances in biotech and medical technologies, which compels us to bring them far beyond the city, for a global reach and benefit because chronic diseases are an issue that every economy in the world has to contend with, Yip added.