Siemens Healthineers, in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is launching an initiative to develop artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict and prevent two major health conditions that affect millions of women and children worldwide: pre-eclampsia and anemia. These conditions are responsible for over 500,000 deaths and leave millions more in poor health each year. The AI technology will use machine learning approaches to analyze complete blood count (CBC) data and patient metadata to identify women at risk of developing these conditions, enabling early intervention and timely clinical treatment.
The project aims to reduce the burden on laboratories in low-resource settings, where access to healthcare is limited, and improve maternal health outcomes. The AI models will be trained using data from routine CBC tests, which are commonly performed during prenatal care, eliminating the need for additional testing or costs. The resulting models will provide an integrated maternal health score to support clinical decision-making and early risk intervention.
According to Siemens Healthineers CEO Bernd Montag, “Healthcare AI will greatly contribute to predicting outcomes rather than just reacting to symptoms.” The initiative is part of the company’s efforts to close the gender health gap, as women spend a quarter of their lives in poor health compared to men, which has significant social and economic implications.
The project will involve the development and validation of machine-learning models in partnership with organizations in low- and middle-income countries. The models will be used to predict the risk of pre-eclampsia and anemia, which are major causes of maternal and perinatal deaths worldwide. Anemia, in particular, affects an estimated 500 million women and 269 million children worldwide, and is preventable and treatable.
The results of the project will be published at its conclusion, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of AI in improving maternal health outcomes in low-resource settings. Overall, the initiative has the potential to make a significant impact on global health, saving lives and improving the health and wellbeing of millions of women and children worldwide.