Lunit said it agreed with Agfa HealthCare, a multinational imaging company headquartered in Belgium, to supply an AI image analysis solution for breast cancer diagnosis to the Dubai Academic Health Corporation (DAHC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The two companies have been collaborating to develop an AI image analysis package solution that can be installed in Agfa HealthCare products after entering into a strategic partnership in 2021.

They developed the Agfa HealthCare Enterprise Imaging platform, an integrated imaging system based on Lunit Insight MMG, an AI image analysis solution for mammography.

Lunit said DAHC is the first hospital to implement the Agfa HealthCare Enterprise Imaging platform.

According to Lunit, DAHC is a public medical institution established by the Dubai government in 2021 to support all medical institutions in Dubai and strengthen the competitiveness of medical services.

“The installment of Agfa HealthCare Enterprise Imaging platform is the result of Agfa Healthcare conducting review and evaluation work with DAHC to introduce an AI image analysis solution for breast cancer diagnosis in Dubai hospitals and primary medical centers in UAE for the past three years,” Lunit said.

Taking this supply of UAE deal as an opportunity, Lunit and Agfa HealthCare are planning to collaborate in advancing into neighboring countries in the Middle East.

“With the introduction of our AI solution by DAHC, we expect to increase data-based diagnosis expertise for radiologists and provide customized treatment according to accurate diagnosis in UAE,” said Dr. Anjum Ahmed, Global Chief Medical Officer and the Director of Artificial Intelligence Innovations at Agfa HealthCare.

Lunit CEO Suh Beom-suk also said, “Supplying products to Dubai, which has great influence as the hub of the Middle Eastern economic region, is an important opportunity to expand profitability in the Middle East market in the future.”

As it is the first project in collaboration with Agfa Healthcare, the supply contract with DAHC is very meaningful, and Lunit will actively seek ways to create synergy with Agfa Healthcare in the future, Suh added.

Meanwhile, Lunit has been expanding its footprint in the Middle East.

The company had previously signed an export contract with Roche’s Middle Eastern subsidiary early last year to export Lunit Insight MMG, and has since secured customers in major Middle Eastern countries such as UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

According to Data Bridge Market Research, the medical imaging market in the Middle East, which surpassed $20 billion in 2021, is expected to exceed $30 billion by 2029, with an expected annual growth of 5.5 percent.