Galway Bay fm newsroom - Researchers at NUI Galway are developing an advanced artificial intelligence system that will improve diagnosis times for COVID-19.
The project involves developing AI technology to analyse CT scans using a 'supercomputer' from the Irish Centre for High-Performance Computing.
It's being being undertaken by Dr. Aaron Golden in collaboration with Dr. Christoph Kleefeld of NUI Galway and Dr. Declan Sheppard of Galway University Hospitals.
Researchers say that everyone is used to the idea of nasal and throat swabs for COVID-19 - but they're not 100% accurate and can miss genuine cases, and there can also be delays in getting results.
The project now underway at NUI Galway is developing new AI techniques using a national supercomputer, to expedite the diagnosis of Covid-19 from patient CT scans.
At present, the use of CT scans, allows a radiologist to examine lesions on the lungs that would be indicative of Covid-19, in less than an hour.
However, it can be difficult to determine the cause of these lesions - which is where the new AI techniques will come into play.
The imaging system being developed by researchers at NUI Galway will incorporated trained AI who will be able to distinguish between different types of lesions.
The training of this AI involves familiarising it with thousands of different CT scans - and then developing deep learning algorithms to standardise the scans.
Researchers say this is a big data problem requiring a phenomenal amount of computation - necessitating the use of the KAY supercomputer at the Irish Centre for High-Performance Computing.
