Doctor Frederik Deman

I have been working with AI for almost two years now. In our lab, we are convinced of the importance of digitization and AI tools. 

Our approach is to implement available tools on the market and collaborate with companies from various countries like Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, and the USA, to name a few. These partnerships contribute financially to our research and the development of AI tools. As a result, we are considered one of the most experienced European centers when using AI tools in a scientific and clinical setting.

Our collaboration with Owkin has been positive so far. When we deliver our results, we receive valuable feedback in return. It's not just a one-way street of giving them data, but rather an exchange of information. For instance, Owkin has helped us identify very small artifacts in our slides, thanks to this information, we can now improve the quality of our slides.

In Belgium, structured data is recognized as valuable not only for the government but also for other laboratories. Its value is not just economic but also contributes to the quality of care. Structured data, quality assessments, and workflow visualizations are possible within the laboratory and throughout the hospital.

Structured data offers numerous opportunities. Unlike unstructured text, structured data can be leveraged and analyzed. Moreover, structured data is essential for AI, as it can be combined with digitized slides to train algorithms.

We currently have two ongoing projects with Owkin. One involves sharing data and digitized slides, while the other aims to study our workflow. We acknowledge that implementing AI can be expensive and uncertain, but we are willing to take the risk because we believe it will bring significant benefits to the field of pathology.

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Credit for photography and interview: Florent Tribalat