With the growing need for more pioneering solutions to modern-day problems, a few startups are stepping up to fill the niche. Plusman LLC, a Japanese engineering company specialising in medical imaging AI, teams up with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) to expand its services in Southeast Asia.
JETRO’s goal as an organisation is to help link Japan and the rest of the world through mutual trade and investment. Through its partnership with JETRO, Plusman is looking to explore what other opportunities are in store in the rest of Asia. With a successful expansion, Plusman’s latest technology, the Plus.Lung.Nodule could be one of the biggest developments to hit the region in terms of medical advancement.
About Plusman LLC and its developments
Though fairly new, Plusman’s work in the industry is certainly formidable. Apart from medical imaging, the company aims to develop solutions in pharmaceuticals, artificial intelligence, and cryptography research. While Plus.Lung.Nodule is the company’s biggest product to date, Plusman LLC has also done extensive research on deep learning and real-world data analysis, further setting the bar for the company’s credibility.
In 2020, Plusman LLC presented in the Radiology Society of North America (RSNA), highlighting its work on computer-aided detection (CAD) for pulmonary nodules and lymph nodes. Part of this underlies Plus.Lung.Nodule’s technology, a medical device that could be beneficial for those working in radiology and lung cancer research, among other lung-related diseases.
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The Plus.Lung.Nodule analyses CT images to detect lung nodules and lymph nodes, the process of which Plusman LLC calls CT AI. It also examines chest photographs to detect black and white shadows, which is called CXR AI. What makes Plusman’s technology so ground-breaking is that it can be done with a simple smartphone.
In an interview with e27, Plusman LLC Managing Partner Yusuke Nakamura explains that CXR AI can read a chest radiograph image taken with a phone and allow hospitals or clinics without proper infrastructure to work with what they have without sacrificing the quality of their service to patients. At present, Plus.Lung.Nodule is available for clinical use only in Japan, though this may soon change with JETRO’s intervention. At the same time, Plusman’s expansion into Southeast Asia brings much-needed innovation into the region.
A profile of the Southeast Asian market
According to a report published by the Global Cancer Observatory (Globocan) lung cancer is among the most prevalent cancers in the Southeast Asian region, next to breast and cervix cancers. The same report notes that there were about 7.6% new cases of lung cancer among the population in Southeast Asia in 2020. More recent studies also note that pneumonia, tuberculosis, illnesses caused by air pollution, and the more recent coronavirus disease, are also among the top respiratory diseases in the region. These numbers, along with the emergence of other serious illnesses, could impede the progress of one of the most digitally connected and fastest-growing economies in the world.
Nielsen notes that Southeast Asia as a region is particularly lucrative because it is home to more than 8% of the world’s population. Southeast Asia’s young demographic and increasing spending power contribute to this outlook. The region’s GDP growth has remained stable for the past years, indicating a level of steadiness and maturity that is coveted in other more unpredictable economies.
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From 2016 to 2018, consumer confidence among the Southeast Asian nations also unanimously increased, even among the developing countries in the region. Despite the region’s diverse social and cultural landscape, it is quite predictable and undivided in its economic growth. This makes the region a worthwhile investment, and a profitable market to penetrate.
At the same time, the region is not without its challenges. In terms of healthcare, many countries in Southeast Asia still grapple with inequitable health systems and poor infrastructure. As such, this aggravates any pre-existing conditions among the Southeast Asian population. This is where technologies such as Plusman’s could act as a game changer in an otherwise struggling health system.
Plusman’s contribution to medical advancement through tech
Nakamura tells e27 that Plusman’s Plus.Lung.Nodule as a medical device aims to help the increasing number of lung cancer patients in Southeast Asia. On Plusman’s end, the Southeast Asian market is also attractive because of its growth and stability. The strategy the company seeks to employ is the use of CT AI in the more developed nations in the region. On the other hand, CXR AI appears more plausible for developing nations whose medical infrastructure may not be up-to-date or able to support the equipment required for the use of more advanced technologies. The idea is that for its Southeast Asian consumers, Plus.Lung.Nodule will be deployed in the cloud. However, Nakamura clarifies that the same concept of convenience in using something like a smartphone to use the device still applies.
Nakamura hopes that through JETRO, Plusman will be able to gain a deeper understanding of the Southeast Asian market and successfully launch Plus.Lung.Nodule in the region.
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This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by JETRO
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