Platform launched to access latest research on COVID-19

UK tech firm Deeper Insights has launched a free research discovery platform to help medical professionals access the latest research on COVID-19.

The Covid Insights app enables researchers, physicians and doctors to search tens of thousands of published research papers on COVID-19 – with over 128,000 papers published since January 2020.  

The Covid Insights app contains all published research papers in one central online platform. Users can search the ‘knowledge graph’ of research by healthcare topic or keyword and discover automatic links between symptoms and drugs.

The knowledge graph is powered by Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing (NLP) aiming to allow easy navigation of this vast amount of data. This new way of presenting large volumes of medical research using AI could be transformative for clinicians and researchers who have struggled to comprehend platforms like PubMed.

The platform has been backed by a number of doctors and partners including former BMJ director Matthew Harker, critical care research lead for Wales Dr Matt Morgan, and former NHS director and co-founder of Aequum Health Meuthia Endrojono-Ellis.

Dr Matt Morgan, critical care research lead for Wales said: “The Covid Insights platform has the potential to change the way that research is discovered, assessed and accessed for the benefits of science and medicine.”

It is also supported by the Amazon Partner Network and will be initially promoted through the NHS-approved clinical messaging app Hospify, as well as directly to a UK-wide network of medical professionals.

Deeper Insights founder and CEO Jack Hampson was inspired to develop the platform by his sister’s own experience of COVID-19 in her role as a consultant at Kings College Hospital in London.

He said: “Like many doctors currently in the field, my sister has been overwhelmed by the vast amount of disparate, invalidated, and potentially risky information around COVID-19.

“Deeper Insights has the technology to powerfully machine-read and analyse a vast array of research data. With the help of a consortium of technology and healthcare professionals, we have been able to develop and build the Covid Insights platform in just six weeks so that medical professionals can get easy access to the huge volume of valuable data contained within these research papers.”