Saudi Arabia’s Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group is using artificial intelligence (AI) from South Korean firm Lunit for breast cancer screening.

Lunit, a provider of AI-powered products for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, is continuing its expansion across the Middle East with this supply contract. Following its recent collaboration with Seha Virtual Hospital, Lunit has signed a commercial contract with Cloud Solutions, a subsidiary of Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group (HMG).

Under the agreement, Lunit will supply its Insight MMG AI product for mammography analysis to the medical group for the next three years. HMG intends to integrate Insight MMG into the diagnosis systems of medical institutions across the Middle East, analysing hundreds of thousands of mammography images annually.

In addition to the supply contract, Lunit and Cloud Solutions will collaborate to enhance Lunit’s AI-powered offerings based on Cloud Solution’s cloud AI platform. This collaboration aims to optimise Lunit’s offerings and provide a more advanced and seamless experience for the country.

The agreement is set to deliver medical services to patients across Saudi Arabia, addressing pressing problems such as doctor shortages or medically underserved populations. Furthermore, this partnership will contribute to the national cancer screening programme, building on the success and impact of Lunit’s collaboration with Seha Virtual Hospital.

Lunit also plans to introduce Insight DBT, an AI-powered 3D breast tomosynthesis analysis product, to HMG later this year. The capabilities of DBT will provide more precise diagnostics compared with traditional 2D breast imaging, contributing to early detection and improved treatment outcomes.

HMG is the largest provider of healthcare services in the Middle East, with 20 medical sites spread across Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain.

“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Lunit, marking the first AI-based healthcare service available in Saudi Arabia,” said Fatina Al Tahan, senior consultant at HMG. “Breast cancer represents the most common cancer in the Saudi Arabia population in general. With Lunit’s AI, we expect significant innovation in healthcare services and improved patient outcomes with early detection of breast cancer.”

Brandon Suh, CEO of Lunit, added: “We are delighted to bring our AI-powered cancer solutions to Saudi Arabian patients through Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group. The partnership holds tremendous potential for Lunit as the healthcare transformation in the Middle East is on the rise and gathers momentum. Our goal is to enhance cancer diagnosis and treatment outcomes by further providing innovative AI-powered solutions to healthcare providers throughout the Middle East.”

According to Data Bridge Market Research, the medical imaging market in the Middle East, which surpassed $20bn in 2021, is projected to exceed $30bn by 2029, with an expected CAGR of 5.5% from 2022 to 2029. With Saudi Arabia accounting for 52.3% of the share in the Gulf Cooperation Council, this collaboration holds immense potential for Lunit’s expansion and impact in the region.

Founded in 2013, Lunit is a deep learning-based medical AI company. Its focus is on developing AI for precision diagnostics and therapeutics, ensuring the right diagnosis and treatment, at the right cost for each patient.