MED AI SOl PTY LTD t/a MedSol AI Solutions, a business creating affordable, diagnostic AI and Deep machine learning systems for breast cancer diagnosis

Kathryn Malherbe is the founder and ceo of MED AI SOl PTY LTD t/a MedSol AI Solutions in South Africa, a business at the forefront of the AI-driven healthcare market by utilizing cutting-edge technology and collaborating with researchers to produce innovative solutions. It’s focus is on patient-centered outcomes sets the business apart from other vendors in the market. The company launched in 2019 and today has 10 employees.

Kathryn is a mammographer and radiographer by trade and has worked in the industry for 15 years. She started lecturing following her master’s and PhD at the University of Pretoria. Kathryn has found an absolute love for teaching and encourages students to live their passion daily. She is encouraging curious minds in the space of AI for the healthcare sector as the need for future inventors and key role players is ever-increasing. Kathryn is an avid advocate for breast education and awareness, and for that reason has started a breast cancer non-profit in 2015, which had humble beginnings of 40 women, and now has an online presence of over 200 000 women, spreading across Africa.

Kathryn’s recent PhD research has led to local and international interest in a patent-pending algorithm, now embedded as an AI and Deep machine learning system able to identify, segment, and predict the differential diagnosis of a breast cancer. This can be used in urban and rural clinics, since the wireless handheld ultrasound probe is Wi-Fi embedded and 65 % more cost effective than current market leaders. Her company, MedSol AI Solutions, has worked alongside TIA, Innovation Hub, TWIGA, SAB Foundation, to name a few. The company’s product is now part of the AstraZeneca A Catalyst network and is currently launched in over 12 hospitals/clinic across South Africa and is also being piloted in Colombia, Latvia. She is in early talks to also expand to India, Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria.

Lioness Weekender spoke to the passion-driven Kathryn Malherbe about her passion, her drive, and her vision for the business to make a positive impact in patients’ lives.

What does your company do?

The highest rate of cancer-related mortality in women in Africa is breast cancer. This is due to an increased stigma associated with the disease in rural settings and the lack of appropriate infrastructure in the healthcare sector to promote earlier detection and diagnosis. The rate of TB diagnosis in South Africa has also increased, particularly in the occupational health mining industry.

To address these challenges, we propose a joint collaboration between sector-related market leaders and passionate innovation drivers for change. Our focus is patient-based care with innovative specialist solutions to improve turnaround times, diagnostic efficiency rates, and to narrow the gap between diagnosis and treatment regimes. We will be offering a state-of-the-art AI and DML system, available as an Android application, able to categorize and provide differential diagnosis of health-related diseases within seconds. The product is SAPHRA accredited and has gone through rigorous peer-review testing and data validation. To ensure an effective business ecosystem, we will be collaborating with Unjani clinics and Astrazeneca as stakeholders.

VISION

To become a world leader in affordable, diagnostic Artificial Intelligence and Deep machine learning systems for healthcare.

MISSION

To provide comprehensive AI and DML services across all healthcare clinics of Africa, with a focus on Unjani clinics and collaboration with Astrazeneca as stakeholders.

GOALS

Develop marketable skills for youth in non-traditional jobs.
Improve diagnostic detection rates and patient outcomes in local clinics.
Improve the quality of life for patients following diagnosis.

THEORY OF CHANGE

By providing AI systems at the grassroots level for healthcare professionals and hosting education workshops in rural settings for patients, we aim to reduce overall mortality rates by 2025. Our social impact will be seen by 2025 when South Africans have increased life expectancy from education workshops and that clinics have improved diagnostic success rates by using our AI system.

What inspired you to start your company?

South African diagnostic centres cannot utilize screening protocols as currently used internationally. Due to the high rate of mortality associated with lung disease and cancer, local hospitals and clinics follow diagnostic protocols that allow onsite diagnoses to occur to improve turnaround times. Unfortunately, the waiting time for results to be presented for surgical opinion currently stands at 3-6 weeks.

An artificial intelligence solution for diagnostic imaging with a patient-centered outcome. Various AI systems with user-friendly, automated systems for radiologists/specialists of various fields, with an associated patient app to support the patient-doctor relationship. The patient app will be related to the service, for example, Breast AI with a patient emotional support app.

Radiology sector
General practitioners
Rural and district-level healthcare clinics
Software providers for eCommerce partnership
Non-competing suppliers of products for breast cancer, skin, etc.

The current market tools assist radiologists by reducing the false-negative rate, detecting cancer at an early stage, and reducing mortality rates for cancer. Our unique addition to the current diagnostic dilemma is an individual patient user interface, integrated into the web-based system as an app. Patients from physicians using our product can log in for free, with a secure login interface.

Our product's value will be quantified through innovation, improved diagnostic efficiency for physicians, and educational support for patients. The current prototype has shown a 97.6% accuracy rate with empirical data used for training the machine learning system.

THE CURRENT SA MARKET AI in South Africa will empower staff, improve healthcare policy (through better understanding of disease), improve healthcare delivery (through earlier detection of disease status), improve diagnostic.

Why should anyone use your service or product?

Our company, MED AI SOL Pty Ltd, is at the forefront of the AI-driven healthcare market by utilizing cutting-edge technology and collaborating with researchers to produce innovative solutions. Our focus on patient-centered outcomes sets us apart from other vendors in the market.
Our use of enterprise hubs such as Dotcloud allows for the interoperability of structured and unstructured data across multiple clinical applications, providing our machine learning algorithms with a broad base of data to draw and train from. This allows us to produce more productive and deeper insights than our competitors.
We are committed to preserving what works in AI while also reinventing what doesn't work, such as embedded software that is limited to individual companies. Our platform allows for patients to access their information and provides support and guidance during their treatment process, while also ensuring the security of patient data in compliance with the POPI Act.
Our platform offers a cost-effective alternative to biopsies by allowing patients to use our product before their procedure. We also have multiple layers of security in place, such as 7 replicas of data and 128-bit encryption, to protect against ransomware and guarantee the security of patient data.
Our platform is unique in offering patients access to their information, and providing them with support and guidance during their treatment process. This allows us to uphold and respect the POPI act while providing patients with a cost-effective alternative to biopsies.
Additionally, we have a secure data management system that includes 128-bit encryption, and multiple layers of security to safeguard against ransomware and guarantee the security of patient data
Industry type: Deep machine learning and artificial intelligence software for the healthcare industry, specifically for medical imaging and radiology centers.
Market Segmentation: Our target market falls under artificial narrow intelligence (ANI), focusing on a specific task of identifying and characterizing breast cancer masses through deep machine learning algorithms. Our product is a web-based software and patient application platform that receives real-time images from ultrasound units in medical practices.

Tell us a little about your team:

We have a joint knowledge of clinical and technical/AI software spanning over 25 years. We also have key international legal experts and financial teams ensuring we are promoting sound and effective business ethics in the market.
https://medsol.ai/medsol-about-us/

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

I worked in the clinical field for almost 20 years, before this idea came and through workshops and training, I taught myself python-script and wrote the algorithm through use of MIPAR/MATLAB. I initially worked full-time and developed the company in my out of office hours, until we had some legwork done and sustainability to drive the company now as a full-time job.

What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

The current market tools assist radiologists by reducing the false-negative rate, detecting cancer at an early stage, and reducing mortality rates for cancer. Our unique addition to the current diagnostic dilemma is an individual patient user interface, integrated into the web-based system as an app. Patients from physicians using our product can log in for free, with a secure login interface. Our product's value will be quantified through innovation, improved diagnostic efficiency for physicians, and educational support for patients. The current prototype has shown a 97.6% accuracy rate with empirical data used for training the machine learning system.

THE CURRENT SA MARKET AI in South Africa will empower staff, improve healthcare policy (through better understanding of disease), improve healthcare delivery (through earlier detection of disease status), improve diagnostic.

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

The fear, freedom, and satisfaction of running my own business and living my passion every day.

What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

It’s when it gets hard, and you want to give up, that you know you are on the right track.

To find out more, send an email to Kathryn: kathryn@medsol.ai

Website: http://www.medsol.ai

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/medsolai

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/medsolaisolutions

YouTube:

https://www.france24.com/en/video/20220204-south-african-entrepreneur-launches-software-for-breast-cancer-identification

https://sabfoundation.co.za/stories-1/2021/10/6/kathryn-malherbe-medsols-breast-ai-solution

https://www.brainstormmag.co.za/innovation/15561-the-intelligent-juxtaposition-of-life-and-technology

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kathryn-Malherbe-2
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-m-145237140

www.breastcancersupport.co.za
www.medsol.ai