Medtronic Displays its GI Genius at UEG Week

Medtronic is taking some very big steps with artificial intelligence. The Dublin-based company is launching GI Genius – a system it said is the first to use AI to detect colorectal polyps. The product’s launch is taking place during United European Gastroenterology Week in Barcelona, Spain.

GI Genius was developed by Cosmo Pharmaceuticals and has CE mark. Medtronic is bringing the solution to the market through a distribution agreement with the Dublin-based Cosmo Pharmaceuticals.

The GI Genius module uses advanced artificial intelligence to highlight the presence of pre-cancerous lesions with a visual marker in real-time – serving as a second observer.

Studies have shown that having a second observer can increase polyp detection rates; every 1% increase in adenoma detection rate reduces the risk of colorectal cancer by 3%. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common form of cancer globally with 1.8 million new cases every year.

In a release, Prof. Alessandro Repici, head of gastroenterology at Humanitas Hospital in Rozzano said, “One of the key factors to maximizing the prevention of colorectal cancer is the integration of advanced technologies like AI into daily practice. The use of artificial intelligence in gastroenterology ushers in a new era of diagnostic endoscopy that can improve the quality of colonoscopies. In my experience, the GI Genius module can be extremely precise in identifying lesions in the colonic mucosa that can be difficult to detect and may have been missed. This change in daily practice has the potential to improve diagnosis and overall outcomes for patients that may have colorectal cancer.”

This isn’t Medtronic’s first rodeo in the AI realm. Nearly a year ago, Medtronic acquired Nutrino, its frequent collaborator that uses AI for nutrition-related services. The medtech giant is also known for its collaboration with IBM Watson, which yielded a co-developed app dubbed the Sugar.IQ smart diabetes assistant.

Medtronic said the app was designed to simplify and improve daily diabetes management by leveraging artificial intelligence and analytic technologies from IBM Watson Health to continually analyze how an individual's glucose level responds to their food intake, insulin dosages, daily routines, and other factors.