This article is for readers. Author:Han Ying(Zhengzhou University Medical College)

Recently, a sudden outbreak of new coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) has taken people by surprise. However, in order to achieve better anti-epidemic effects, many scientific researchers have applied many technical methods to fight the epidemic. Among them, artificial intelligence technology has become one of the powerful weapons in this battle against epidemic and epidemic prevention; it has helped epidemic prevention and epidemic prevention in epidemic prevention and control, image analysis, auxiliary diagnosis, and vaccine development.

In terms of epidemic prevention and control

The new type of coronavirus pneumonia is menacing, but it is still preventable and controllable. Take effective measures to prevent, wear masks, wash hands frequently, and isolate at home are all very effective methods. For example, wearing a mask is one of the most important and effective prevention and control measures to prevent infectious diseases, which can effectively reduce the risk of infection with the new coronavirus. Another example is body temperature screening, which is a means of screening for suspicious cases in this outbreak. Artificial intelligence technology can play an important role in various application scenarios of epidemic prevention and control, and these application scenarios can directly bring tangible benefits to patients or potential patient populations.

Beijing Kuangshi Technology Co., Ltd. recently launched a new artificial intelligence system, Ming Ming, for identifying, screening and analyzing fever and potentially infected objects. The system uses a front-end infrared camera to identify high-temperature people in the flow of people, and then uses artificial intelligence technology to assist staff in quickly locating abnormal body temperature based on the human body and face information of the suspected fever; it can also be used when wearing a mask Precise locking. At present, “Mingyao” has been applied in areas with large traffic, such as subways, railway stations, airports, and centralized office areas.

In terms of image analysis

Medical imaging data is an important part of medical data. Artificial intelligence technology can improve the efficiency of image analysis by quickly and accurately marking the specific abnormal structure of new coronavirus pneumonia for reference by radiologists. Improving the efficiency of image analysis allows radiologists to free up more time to focus on content reviews that require more interpretation or judgment, which is expected to ease their supply gap problem. In addition, it prevents radiologists and clinicians from being infected by others, reducing their safety risks.

The New Crown Pneumonia Imaging Cloud Detection Platform, jointly developed by Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute and Hangzhou Jianpei Technology Co., Ltd., has recently officially launched. It provides free imaging cloud diagnostic services to hospitals across the country, and is free of charge for all medical institutions and governments at all levels. Accurately provide decision-making basis for radiologists and clinicians to help prevent and control the epidemic. After the image cloud detection platform is launched, it can help local areas to find patients with imaging earlier, and achieve faster isolation, diagnosis and treatment.

In terms of assisted diagnosis

Medical diagnosis is a judgment process that comprehensively considers various influencing factors; the use of artificial intelligence technology to assist in the diagnosis of new coronavirus pneumonia can accurately predict the condition in a short period of time and has an important role in improving the prognosis of patients. The function of AI-assisted diagnosis can not only accurately segment the lesion at the CT scan site, but also analyze the CT image of the lesion to find out suspected lesions and abnormal tissue structures, and give the direction of diagnosis. In terms of quality control and lesion recognition, it has a wider range of uses.

In terms of rapid CT imaging diagnosis, Beijing Tuixiang Technology cooperates with Wuhan Tongji Hospital and Shenzhen Third People's Hospital to develop a special version for new coronavirus pneumonia, which uses deep learning and image recognition of artificial intelligence technology to detect detected lesions. Measurement and density analysis support the comparison of patients' front and back films, provide quantitative data comparison results, and help doctors complete the diagnosis of suspect patients faster. Beijing Ande Medical Intelligence United People's Liberation Army General Hospital is developing a new artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis system for CT images of coronavirus pneumonia, which is freely available to hospitals at all levels across the country.

In terms of vaccine development

As the epidemic continues, many people are very concerned about the development of vaccines and other related drugs. According to reports, artificial intelligence technology is of great use whether it is to genetically sequence the virus, find the source and transmission host of the virus, or to develop a virus vaccine or specific medicine. For example, traditional new drug development requires biological testing of hundreds of drug components in the laboratory. This process often takes a lot of time, and artificial intelligence technology can greatly accelerate this process.

Zhejiang University recently used artificial intelligence technology to find two anti-epidemic drugs among existing drugs; vaccine research and development has achieved staged results. Now these two drugs have been used in patients with pneumonitis infected by a new type of coronavirus in Zhejiang Province, and the next plan is to use them to replace other drugs with poor results. It is understood that the use of artificial intelligence technology for screening and development of drugs can help scientific research teams quickly find drugs that may be effective in treating new types of coronavirus infections; this is what people expect.

It can be seen from the above that artificial intelligence technology is of great help in epidemic prevention work. It can be expected that as a highly comprehensive technology, artificial intelligence will be increasingly applied in the field of medical health, and will become an important scientific and technological means that affects the development of the medical industry. As Professor Zhou Haizhong, a famous scholar in China once pointed out, "With the development of society and the advancement of science and technology, artificial intelligence technology will play an important role in the field of medical and health; its results will continue to emerge, and its application prospects are expected.