Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche is expanding its advantages in data analysis and integration into a wider range of therapeutical fields, hence contributing to high-quality healthcare development in China.

During the recently concluded 7th China International Import Expo, which was held in Shanghai from Nov 5 to 10, the company showcased its innovative healthcare solutions and debuted the "Digital Healthcare Incubator 2.0", a digital platform that integrates healthcare product development processes from clinical validation to product development, registration and market launch.

Li Bin, vice-president of Medical Affairs at Roche Pharma China, said the company has already developed AI-based digital pathology and imaging models that can help doctors to make diagnosis and predict recovery, as well as digital management tools for early detection and intervention of tumor patients. Roche is willing to serve as a bridge between academia and industry to bring valuable and meaningful innovations for doctors and patients, Li said.

"Our model can analyze thousands of features that are difficult to distinguish by humans within a short period of time, freeing doctors from heavy workloads while providing a solid foundation for the realization of personalized medicine, ultimately bringing better diagnosis and treatment benefits to Chinese patients," said Shen Xiafang, senior director of Hematology and Innovative Healthcare Solutions of Medical Affairs at Roche Pharma China.

Artificial intelligence has shown remarkable outcomes in tasks such as diagnostics, data analysis and precision treatments. As China's healthcare industry is accelerating its transformation and upgrading towards digitalization, pioneering models developed by Roche demonstrate the future of medical care, she said.

Wang Jingjing, executive director of the global healthcare innovation center under Beijing Tsinghua Industrial R&D Institute, said current research and development focuses on unmet clinical demands, as the country attaches great importance to promoting the transformation of scientific research results. With the joint efforts of all parties, new progresses will be made for AI-empowered healthcare.

liuzhihua@chinadaily.com.cn