New chest radiography AI tool approved by Health Canada

VANCOUVER – 1QBit, a world leader in advanced computing and software development, announced the launch of 1QBit xrAI, a chest radiography AI tool that significantly improves the accuracy and timeliness of diagnosing lung abnormalities.

The company’s first healthcare product received expedited Health Canada approval in just one week following its recently completed extensive clinical trials. Within days of this regulatory approval, the Saskatchewan Health Authority has plans to go-live with the new tool to help combat COVID-19.

“We have been working on this artificial intelligence product for two years and the launch could not come at a better time for Canada and the world as we battle COVID-19,” said Deepak Kaura (pictured), MD, FRCPC, MBA, chief medical officer of 1QBit and a practicing pediatric radiologist.

“Unlike other image recognition software solutions that are created by technology companies first and then sold to medical professionals, xrAI has been researched and developed by clinicians. In my experience building health services domestically and internationally, I am inspired by the Canadians who have accelerated the clinical trials, overseen stringent regulatory processes, and who are now willing to implement xrAI such that it impacts patients so quickly.”

xrAI can be deployed on classical processors in the cloud or on-premise, helping clinicians better identify patients with respiratory complications including SARS, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and other abnormalities. In evaluating publicly available data of COVID-19 pneumoniae, 1QBit xrAI accurately identified 100% of cases with pulmonary abnormalities.

“As a practicing emergency physician and the Physician Executive of Rural Health for the Saskatchewan Health Authority, I recognize the importance of xrAI. It will directly impact the management of COVID-19 patients at the frontline by improving the confidence and accuracy of chest X-ray interpretations, allowing us to better triage and monitor these cases,” said Dr. Kevin Wasko, MA, MD, CCFP (EM), CCPE. “In fact, we prioritized the clinical trial because we recognized that solid science was necessary in order to obtain Health Canada clearance, and indeed, for us to deploy clinically. That trial is now complete, and we are excited to move forward.”

“The Saskatchewan Health Authority has a strong reputation as an innovative integrated province-wide delivery system for quality care,” said Landon Downs, President of 1QBit. “We are confident that xrAI will be another chapter in their history of setting new national standards of excellence in patient care.”

About 1QBit
1QBit is a world leader in advanced computing and software development. The company is trusted by Fortune 500 companies and top research institutions internationally as an industry leader in quantum simulation, machine learning, and hardware optimization. 1QBit is headquartered in Vancouver and employs physicians, biomedical experts, mathematicians, computer scientists, physicists, chemists, software developers, and other quantum computing specialists. The company develops novel solutions to computational problems along the full stack of quantum computing, from hardware innovations to commercial application development.