"Rare Genetic Diseases Distressing Young Parents... Solved with AI Technology"

Interview with Director Kim Jong-jae Leading the Development of Medical AI 'Dr.Answer'

Kim Jong-jae, head of the Korea Data-Centered Healthcare Project Group (K-DaSH), is operating a kiosk at the 'Dr.Answer' experience center located on the first floor of the Asan Medical Center Asan Institute for Life Sciences on the 20th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] "Rare genetic diseases fall within the realm of social indifference. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology will assist in the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases so that young parents do not have to take their sick children from hospital to hospital."

The Korean medical AI software development project ‘Doctor Answer,’ which integrates AI technology with medical big data to assist human doctors in disease diagnosis and treatment, has entered its 2.0 phase this year. This large-scale, long-term project has received approximately 77 billion KRW in national funding through phases 1.0 and 2.0. On the 20th, we met with Jongjae Kim, head of the Korea Data-Centered Healthcare Business Group (K-DaSH) and director of the Asan Institute for Life Sciences at Asan Medical Center, who has been leading the Doctor Answer research and development (R&D) since phase 1.0 in 2018, at his office in the Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Seoul Asan Medical Center.

At the launch of phase 1.0, Director Kim recalled the consortium with the descriptors ‘first’ and ‘largest.’ He explained, "Having 25 advanced general hospitals nationwide participate was unprecedented even for a national-level project," adding, "Although there were many challenges with over 600 researchers in the consortium, the software developed afterward spread rapidly." For Doctor Answer phase 1.0, about 2,000 participants from 26 domestic medical institutions and 22 ICT companies took part annually.

The biggest achievement of Doctor Answer to date is its export to Saudi Arabia. Clinical validation was conducted at hospitals under the Saudi Ministry of Health until March this year, and the introduction was approved at five national hospitals. Since this is a national-level contract, only the bidding process through the Saudi electronic procurement system remains. Although individual clinical discussions were held with institutions such as the University of Utah in the United States, they were halted due to COVID-19. Director Kim said, "The government ministries made great efforts to continue discussions with overseas countries, but everything was stopped due to COVID-19, which is regrettable."

Before expanding Doctor Answer overseas, the government and project team are focusing on building domestic references first. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to designate and operate ‘Doctor Answer Clinic,’ which utilizes AI medical software, centered on eight major regional advanced general hospitals or health screening centers in Korea next year. A ‘Doctor Answer Pediatrics’ specialized in rare genetic diseases will also be operated to address pediatric disease issues that have been difficult to diagnose until now. A cloud platform will be built over one year to enable hospitals to efficiently share information about the developed solutions.

Kim Jong-jae, head of the Korea Data-Centered Healthcare Project Group (K-DaSH), is operating a kiosk at the 'Dr. Answer' experience center located on the first floor of the Asan Life Sciences Research Institute at Asan Medical Center on the 20th.

With the global AI healthcare market expected to grow to approximately 43 trillion KRW by 2025, Korea also needs differentiated efforts to secure a leading position. Director Kim cited ‘continuous government interest’ as a prerequisite for Korea’s growth as an AI medical advanced country. He emphasized, "Doctor Answer phase 1.0 and phase 2.0 are worlds apart," adding, "The government must continuously send a message to society that it is confident in the importance of the project through R&D investment."

There is also anticipation that Doctor Answer will serve as a connecting link between the domestic software industry and the medical industry, which have been disconnected. Director Kim said, "In the past, no matter how many medical AI software products existed, doctors did not know what was available," and added, "Doctor Answer will act as a kind of portfolio or roadmap that helps technology companies utilize their human and material resources more efficiently."