Alibaba’s Cancer Detection Tool Gains FDA Approval

Alibaba Group Holding’s research division, Damo Academy, has received approval from the FDA for the development of an AI tool for cancer detection, as reported by SCMP.

The agency has granted the Damo Panda model “breakthrough device” status, which facilitates a faster review and approval process for the technology.

Alibaba introduced the model in November 2023. It is designed to detect pancreatic cancer and is capable of accurately identifying malignant tumors at early stages, even in patients without noticeable symptoms.

Damo Panda has been trained on non-contrast abdominal CT scans of 3,208 patients with pancreatic cancer. According to a study published in November 2023, its sensitivity is 34.1% higher than typical radiology standards.

The corporation has deployed the model for testing across China. It screened 40,000 individuals at a hospital in the eastern city of Ningbo and identified six early-stage cancer cases, two of which were missed by standard diagnostics.

Alibaba established Damo Academy in 2017, focusing on artificial intelligence and open-source RISC-V chip architecture. The organization is behind a series of processors called XuanTie.

In February, researchers at Arc Institute developed the Evo 2 model, capable of analyzing genetic code, predicting diseases and mutations, and designing new genomes as long as those of simple bacteria.

Earlier, experts from Harvard Medical School created the AI model Chief, which can accurately identify various types of cancer, assess treatment methods, and predict survival rates.