Vieworks, a Kosdaq-listed medical imaging solution company, said Wednesday that it has signed a supply agreement with SK telecom (SKT) to link its medical image processing software VXvue with SKT’s X Caliber, a pet AI diagnostic assistant solution, at the Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX) 2024 held in Orlando, the U.S. on Monday, local time.
Through this agreement, Vieworks plans to launch an integrated medical imaging solution including an X-ray, image processing software, and AI diagnostic assistant service in the veterinary diagnosis market in the first half of this year.
Vieworks expects to strengthen its market competitiveness in North America and Europe, where it already has large customers while providing a foothold to enter new markets.
VXvue is a user-friendly image processing software that performs post-processing of clinical images acquired through X-rays. It is equipped with high-performance image processing algorithms that enhance the clarity of clinical images and is characterized by the ability to provide specialized options depending on the diagnostic target.
X Caliber is a diagnostic assistant solution that helps veterinarians diagnose diseases by analyzing pets' X-ray photos with AI and was first commercialized in Korea in September 2022.
Currently, the diagnostic scope of X Caliber is rapidly expanding, diagnosing seven types of musculoskeletal diseases, 10 types of thoracic diseases, 16 types of abdominal diseases, and heart size (VHS) measurement in dogs, and five types of thoracic diseases, seven types of abdominal diseases, and heart size (VHS) measurement in cats.
When VXvue is linked to X Caliber, it will be possible to analyze clinical X-ray images of animals such as dogs and cats, providing abnormal findings on musculoskeletal and thoracic diseases within 15 seconds.
Post-processing of the images, along with information such as the location of the disease and the probability of a lesion, will improve veterinary care.
Based on this supply agreement, the two companies will create synergies and expand sales in the rapidly growing global pet healthcare market.
SKT is a leader in AI healthcare solutions for pets with X Caliber, deployed in more than 500 hospitals in Korea, and is actively exploring overseas markets based on its recent partnership with a global medical device distributor.
"As the global pet care market grows, we decided to collaborate with SK telecom in consideration of the product's relevance and efficiency in the medical field," said a Vieworks official "We will leave this collaboration as a representative example of a joint venture between domestic companies responding to emerging demand, and continue to develop more diverse diagnostic solutions by fully mobilizing our R&D capabilities.”
Meanwhile, at VMX 2024, SKT also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Vetology Innovations to launch X Caliber in the U.S.
Vetology was founded in 2011 by Seth Wallack, a veterinarian specializing in imaging, and has been providing remote image reading services for 13 years, with more than 3,000 veterinary clinics in the U.S.
Based on this MOU, SKT will share its pet-related data and AI technology accumulated through X Caliber, and Vetology will share its know-how and data in the veterinary field and explore new business opportunities together.