The potential for AI-supported medical data analysis is enormous. Clinics, for example, need this data for research and to improve diagnosis and therapy. The medical device and pharmaceutical industry requires this data in clinical studies and to evaluate the quality and performance of their products.
Based on these needs, the idea for the KIKS project originated in Spring of 2019. Meanwhile, over 40 partners are in the process of developing a digital ecosystem named AIQNET, which will guarantee compliance with legal and ethical framework conditions through a state-of-the-art architecture and security technologies.
The cloud-based platform will enable participants to use data-based applications and AI technologies in the health sector for their own purposes or to accelerate the development of new business fields and services.
KIKS is part of the innovation competition “Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a driver for economically-relevant ecosystems” and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).
Aesculap, a B. Braun company, is the world’s largest and one of the most respected manufacturers of surgical instruments and sterilization container systems. Aesculap is a leading privately-owned manufacturing company, passionately committed to providing high-quality, innovative products and services to all surgical disciplines, including neurosurgery, microsurgery, plastic and reconstructive, thoracic, micro-vascular, cardiovascular, orthopedic, laparoscopic and general surgeries. Aesculap contributes its requirements and expertise in the execution of clinical studies and from the field of regulatory affairs to the KIKS project.
BioRegio STERN is promoting economic development in the life sciences, by supporting innovations and start-up companies as a public service. It is a central point of contact for founders and entrepreneurs, including those from cooperating high-tech sectors such as automation and IT. Within the KIKS project, BioRegio STERN is responsible for managing all tasks related to public relations, the organizational structure of the project, for establishing a governance structure as well as the development of strategies for the systematic establishment of a national ecosystem with international outreach.
The Center for Musculoskeletal Surgery (CMSC) at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin is one of the largest orthopedic trauma surgery centers in Germany. The team of orthopaedic and trauma surgeons offers comprehensive conservative and operative treatment for all diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Within KIKS, the CMSC represents the interests of clinical users including special requirements for clinical research.
RAYLYTIC, leader of the consortium, is a highly specialized company in the field of medical software development. Its web-based platform UNITY, which is one of the core modules within the KIKS project, facilitates not only a seamless and straight-forward collection of clinical data directly from the patient (PROMs) but also its fully automated extraction from medical images utilizing AI and the joint analysis of the data from different domains. UNITY includes technologies for anonymization/pseudonymization, secure data transmission and user role management and already meets the relevant GDPR requirements.