Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Chinese scholars use AI to screen newborns for genetic disorders via facial scan

Chinese scholars use AI to screen newborns for genetic disorders via facial scan

The new assistive diagnosis tool was designed to detect more than 100 disorders with distinctive facial features, including Cornelia de Lange syndrome and Down syndrome.
Chinese scholars have developed artificial intelligence-powered software that is geared to help screen newborns for genetic disorders through a facial scan.

Researchers from the Shanghai Children’s Medical Centre and the Shanghai Paediatric Centre said their new assistive diagnosis tool, which they described as the first of its kind, was designed to detect more than 100 disorders with distinctive facial features, including Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) and Down syndrome, according to a report by state-owned China News Service on Friday.

They said their AI-enabled tool would be used for initial screening, helping avoid missed or wrong diagnosis of newborns.
Prominent facial features of children with CdLS, for example, include thin eyebrows that often meet at the midline, long eyelashes, short upturned nose, thin downturned lips, low-set ears and high-arched palate or cleft palate, according to the CdLS Foundation. Children with Down syndrome may have tiny white spots in the coloured part of their eyes, flatter faces, a tongue that hangs out of the mouth and eyes shaped like almonds, or shaped in a way that is not typical for their ethnic group.

Prominent facial features of children with CdLS, for example, include thin eyebrows that often meet at the midline, long eyelashes, short upturned nose, thin downturned lips, low-set ears and high-arched palate or cleft palate, according to the CdLS Foundation. Children with Down syndrome may have tiny white spots in the coloured part of their eyes, flatter faces, a tongue that hangs out of the mouth and eyes shaped like almonds, or shaped in a way that is not typical for their ethnic group.

Powered by so-called deep learning algorithms, the new tool will be used to review past medical records for facial profile patterns and make use of that data to help diagnose new cases.

The software has already been put on a trial run in Shanghai, where paediatricians upload and submit photographs or video taken from patients for screening of suspected disorders, according to the report.

Diagnosis and early detection are among the most highly prized health care applications of AI in China. While it is the world’s second largest economy, China is known for shortages in medical resources and long waiting queues at major hospitals. AI has already been put to use across the country to predict flu outbreaks, check for chronic diseases and diagnose cases of cancer.

This latest development in using AI and facial recognition for health care comes as the Trump administration added eight companies, including China’s AI national champions SenseTime Group and Megvii Technology, to Washington’s trade blacklist for their purported roles in the suppression of Uygur minorities in Xinjiang.

A number of other large Chinese companies are making headway in using AI for health care. In July of this year, Chinese conglomerate Ping An Insurance launched AskBob, an AI-based medical decision support tool that can provide precise diagnosis and treatment recommendations for more than 1,500 diseases. This tool was initially introduced in Singapore through collaborations with SingHealth and the National University Health System.

The US Food and Drug Administration expects AI technologies to transform health care by “deriving new and important insights” from the vast amount of data generated everyday. It predicted “high value applications” would be made in various areas, including early disease detection, identification of new observations or patterns of human physiology, and in the development of personalised therapeutics.

For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×