Bayer and Blackford Analysis Announce AI Platform Agreement in Radiology

During RSNA, Bayer and Blackford Analysis announced an advancement in the use of AI in the imaging field; they entered into a development and license agreement to establish an artificial intelligence (AI) platform for radiology suites. The platform will enable the integration of AI applications into the medical imaging workflow which can support the complex decision-making process of radiologists and is intended to enhance diagnostic confidence.

With aging populations and changing lifestyles leading to an increase in chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and other severe illnesses like cancer, the need for medical imaging to facilitate diagnosis, treatment decisions and therapy intervention has grown. However, radiological imaging data continues to grow at a disproportionate rate when compared with the number of available trained readers. Studies report that, in some cases, an average radiologist must interpret one image every 3–4 seconds in an 8-hour workday to meet demands^.i These trends drive a growing need for integrated solutions which support radiology suites to manage complexity and deliver accurate diagnostic information more efficiently.

“Our agreement with Blackford Analysis reinforces our commitment to innovation in medical imaging. We want to drive AI-enabled radiology solutions that add clinical value by supporting radiologists and their teams in providing clear direction from diagnosis to care,” said Alexandre Salvador, Head of Digital Business Solutions, Radiology, Bayer AG. “We are looking forward to combining our long-standing knowledge in life sciences and expertise in radiology with the technology and development capabilities of Blackford Analysis.”

The AI platform developed by Bayer and Blackford Analysis will provide access to a virtual marketplace through which healthcare professionals can obtain and manage various diagnostic imaging analysis applications, protocol management tools, departmental workflow tools and AI algorithms. Integrated into the radiology workflow, such offerings have the potential to increase efficiency and reduce errors, as well as the level of manual input needed to enable timely diagnosis, by providing trained radiologists with pre-screened images and identified features.

Ben Panter, Chief Executive Officer Blackford Analysis said, “We are pleased to join forces with Bayer. Easily integrated into existing workflows, our unique platform technology allows healthcare providers to use imaging information smartly.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Blackford Analysis will develop and provide platform technology for Bayer. Via the platform, Bayer will provide integrated AI solutions developed in-house and in cooperation with third parties, contributing with its medical and data science capabilities and deep disease understanding for various conditions.

About artificial intelligence at Bayer Pharmaceuticals
Artificial intelligence provides significant opportunities for Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals business. Bayer is committed to realizing the potential value associated with big data, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence, as it continues to explore and leverage them along the value chain. Bayer believes that there are three ways that artificial intelligence could be applied in our business: to strengthen and accelerate innovation, to advance operations and to identify new business opportunities. Such technologies could therefore support Bayer in getting the right treatment to the right patient at the right time, more efficiently and faster than we do today.

About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2018, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of 39.6 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.6 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.2 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com

About Blackford Analysis
Founded in 2010, Blackford provides an independent platform for the effective selection, deployment, management and use of best-in-class medical imaging applications and AI. As one of the first and most widely deployed platform providers in the industry, Blackford is focused on delivering clinical value and operational ROI to their customers. From their deep roots in partnership to their intense focus on clinical value and technical excellence, the Blackford platform is geared towards providing multiple imaging applications and AI that deliver the best results within customers’ existing workflow. For more information visit www.blackfordanalysis.com.

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Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

PP-PF-RAD-US-0561- 01 – November 2020

ⁱ Hosny A, Parmar C, Quackenbush J, Schwartz LH, Aerts HJWL. Artificial intelligence in radiology. Nat Rev Cancer. 2018;18(8):500-510. doi:10.1038/s41568-018-0016-5