How a digital tool can improve the care of osteoporosis patients
Ian Bolland sat down with the team from UCB to discuss BoneBot, the technology it is developing to help osteoporosis patients.
BoneBot is an identification tool which uses an artificial intelligence (AI) based solution that automatically detects vertebral fractures which can go unnoticed in patients.
The company has applied 3D convolutional neural networks to develop the AI-based method that detects the presence of vertebral fractures in any spine-containing CT scans. This technique does not require prior segmentation of the spine; instead, the model automatically learns compact 3D features of the scan and recognises the fracture in a manner that is consistent to best clinical practice.
Explaining a little more, Emmanuel Caeymaex, executive vice president of immunology solutions at UCB, said: “BoneBot knows how to search and identify what we call silent fractures. Those are fractures patients may or may not notice which end up being very painful and having an impact on quality of life.”
Current solutions in this space are based on a 2D algorithm processing multiple sagittal slices. BoneBot processes data in 3D, leveraging all possible 3D patterns that could help detect fractures - in essence giving any a physician a fuller picture of any potential vertebral fractures.
As a result, this identification tool has the potential to significantly reduce the number of fractures that currently go undetected.
Roel Van den Broeck, digital business transformation lead said: “If a patient goes in for a scan at the request of a cardiologist, what often happens is there might be a vertebral fracture there but it’s not being reported because the radiologist is looking at something else. They’re looking at the heart or they might be looking at the lungs and we’re trying to make sure that opportunity of that scan is being used to also alert that vertebral fracture.
“There’s are statistics from the International Osteoporosis Foundation on how many people have actually had osteoporotic fractures, it said that 80% of people who have at least one osteoporotic fracture have not been identified nor treated for it. That’s what we’re trying to tackle. We’re trying to make sure that people who should be aware they have osteoporosis, that they have a risk of a subsequent fracture which really changes your life.
“Most of those people who have a vertebral compression fracture, there’s a good chance this will be caused by osteoporosis. Some people may benefit from being aware of it because they can do some more physical exercise, take some Vitamin D and that could already help for a good amount of patients.”
Van den Broeck explains that there is need to make sure people can be moved to a more personalised treatment within the care pathway, saying that UCB is collaborating with the International Osteoporosis Foundation in a global program which helps to proactively implement coordinated care in an effort to reduce the incidence of osteoporotic fractures by 25% by 2025.