Antigua and Barbuda and DAMO Academy Reach a Medical AI Cooperation, Joining Hands to Improve the Digital Health Level of Antigua and Barbuda

On January 25, the Ministry of Health of Antigua and Barbuda and Alibaba DAMO Academy signed a letter of intent for cooperation in Hangzhou. The aim is to promote the application and development of medical AI in Antigua and Barbuda and improve the digital health level. Gaston Browne, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, who was on an official visit to China, witnessed the signing ceremony.

Gaston Browne, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said, "Digital and intelligent innovative technologies have broad application and development prospects in the Caribbean region. We are actively collaborating with leading technology companies and research institutions to explore the innovative application of cutting-edge technologies such as AI in health fields like the fight against cancer, so as to enhance the well-being of the people."

According to the letter of intent for cooperation, DAMO Academy will provide medical AI products to hospitals and medical institutions in Antigua and Barbuda, helping local doctors adopt the "non-contrast CT + AI" approach to achieve early screening of cancers such as pancreatic cancer and esophageal cancer, as well as chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases. The two sides will also deeply explore more opportunities for clinical and scientific research cooperation in local universities and hospitals to promote the progress of medical AI technology.

It is reported that DAMO Academy, as a research institute under Alibaba Group focusing on basic science, innovative technologies, and applied technologies, focuses on key areas such as artificial intelligence, aiming to help solve global social problems and improve human well-being. In the medical field, DAMO Academy has long been committed to the research on the integration of AI and medical imaging. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it urgently developed an AI-based diagnosis technology, which was freely provided and applied in more than 600 hospitals worldwide to assist in the global fight against the pandemic. Recently, DAMO Academy, in collaboration with many top global medical institutions, for the first time achieved large-scale early screening of pancreatic cancer using the "non-contrast CT + AI" method. The top-tier medical journal "Nature Medicine" commented that "cancer screening based on medical-imaging AI is about to enter the golden age."

Zhang Yanling, the Chinese Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda, and relevant officials from the Foreign Affairs Office of Zhejiang Province attended the event.