A talented group of innovators saving lives through technology: Lunit Inc

The Silicon Review

A profound need for accurate and efficient medical imaging analysis drove the inception of Lunit. The company’s founding members were trailblazers in the field, creating one of the world’s leading AI-based image analysis solutions. This groundbreaking technology received international acclaim, surpassing industry giants like Google, IBM, and Microsoft in prestigious AI competitions. Recognizing that healthcare and medical activities by doctors are fundamentally centered around the analysis of data, Lunit strategically chose healthcare as the ideal domain to apply its AI-powered data and image analysis technology. In this sector, the interpretation of medical images and diagnostic information is at the core of effective healthcare delivery. Lunit’s technology’s ability to rapidly and accurately process and extract insights from vast amounts of medical data offered medical professionals an unparalleled and valuable asset. Driven by the understanding that accurate diagnoses lay the foundation for effective treatments and improved patient care, Lunit remains at the forefront of medical innovation. The company’s dedication to conquering cancer through AI-driven advancements is a testament to its unwavering commitment to benefit patients and healthcare providers worldwide.

Deep learning and convolutional neural networks are crucial in Lunit’s AI models. These algorithms have been meticulously trained with more than millions of medical datasets, enabling the AI to recognize patterns and identify abnormalities with exceptionally high accuracy, enabling Lunit to stay at the forefront of medical imaging analysis. With about 40% of its 280 employees dedicated to R&D, including AI researchers and developers, Lunit ensure that its AI solutions remain cutting-edge, delivering reliable and high-quality diagnostic support to healthcare professionals worldwide.

Exquisite services offered by Lunit

Lunit offers cutting-edge AI-powered solutions for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. These services encompass a wide range of medical conditions and modalities for chest X-rays, mammograms, and digital pathology.

The ‘Lunit INSIGHT’ suite, currently being used by 2000+ medical institutions worldwide, timely detects significant lung abnormalities and breast cancer faster, more accurately, and more effectively.

‘Lunit INSIGHT CXR’ is a CE-marked AI solution for chest X-ray analysis, which finds 10 common chest abnormalities, including lung cancer, pneumonia, and pneumothorax, with 97-99% accuracy.
FDA-cleared and CE-marked ‘Lunit INSIGHT MMG’ is an AI-powered solution for mammography analysis. It detects breast cancer with 96% accuracy.
‘Lunit INSIGHT DBT’, an MDR CE-marked AI-powered 3D Breast Tomosynthesis analysis solution, provides more precise diagnostics than traditional 2D breast imaging, contributing to the early detection of breast cancer.
‘Lunit SCOPE’ is a suite of AI-powered software that analyzes tissue slide images for digital pathology and AI biomarker development, aiming to optimize workflow and facilitate more accurate and predictive clinical data for clinicians and researchers. The solution supports medical decision-making by predicting treatment outcomes of immunotherapy and Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC). Lunit SCOPE platform offers multiple tissue analysis AI products and assays to streamline digital pathology workflow and diagnostics and enhance drug development.
Lunit SCOPE IO analyzes the tumor microenvironment (TME) based on H&E slide analysis and provides AI-based predictive clinical outcome information. In addition, AI-driven Immunohistochemistry (IHC) slide analysis services are offered through Lunit SCOPE uIHC, which analyzes and quantifies protein expression, such as PD-L1, HER2, ER/PR and other targets.

Powerhouse of talents at Lunit

Lunit ensures accuracy and reliability in detecting medical conditions by combining cutting-edge AI algorithms with the expertise of 13 full-time physicians from various specialties, including its CEO, Brandon Suh, MD in Family Medicine. These physicians, ranging from oncologists to radiologists, play a vital role in fine-tuning AI algorithms to meet high medical standards. Moreover, Lunit benefits from renowned scholars like 1) Tony Mok, an esteemed oncologist, board member of AstraZeneca, and 2) Linda Moy, a distinguished breast radiologist, vice-chair of RSNA, and 3) Scott Schubert, former CEO of GE X-ray business, who serve as advisors.

Lunit’s commitment to clinical evidence is reflected in publications in prestigious journals like the Journal of Clinical Oncology and JAMA Network Open. Lunit also participates in global conferences like ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) and AACR (American Association for Cancer Research), showcasing groundbreaking findings every year. This collaborative approach strengthens the trust of healthcare professionals, making Lunit a leading medical AI company trusted by both professionals and patients.

Marketing efforts of Lunit

Lunit’s market strategy revolves around global partnerships, collaborating with medical giants like GE Healthcare, Philips, Hologic, and FujiFilm in radiology. The company also has an exclusive partnership with Guardant Health, a global leader in liquid biopsy, for its digital pathology solutions - the Lunit SCOPE suite. Based on this exclusive partnership, Lunit SCOPE PD-L1 is currently being used to scan and analyze tissue slides that are sent to the Guardant Health lab for TissueNext tests. These alliances expand Lunit’s AI solutions reach and significantly impact healthcare worldwide. Furthermore, Lunit focuses on global expansion through B2G initiatives, successfully participating in national cancer screening projects. Lunit was chosen as the supplier for Australia’s national breast screening program, BSNSW, and actively contributes to Saudi Arabia’s national cancer screening program at Seha Virtual Hospital, a key player in the Kingdom’s healthcare transformation project, which is the priority of ‘Saudi Vision 2030’ strategy. Moreover, Lunit extends its expansion efforts to Sweden, introducing Lunit INSIGHT MMG to Capio St. Goran Hospital, the country’s largest private hospital. This was the first case in history where a medical AI solution replaced one human reader in breast screening. This partnership is expected to significantly contribute to Sweden’s national cancer screening program by analyzing 65,000 mammograms annually.

In addition, Lunit has recently entered into collaborations with multiple global pharmaceutical giants in pathology and oncology to assist in developing their new immunotherapy drug. Lunit is actively accelerating its expansion worldwide through these strategic partnerships and global initiatives.

Path ahead for Lunit

Lunit is continuously innovating and expanding its service offerings. While specific details about upcoming services are currently under wraps, the company remains committed to enhancing its AI-powered medical imaging solutions to address additional medical conditions and imaging modalities, with a particular focus on broader types of cancer.

Lunit is poised for an exciting transformation, evolving from an AI-based medical imaging company into a pioneering provider of AI healthcare platform. This strategic shift is set to redefine the landscape of healthcare technology and empower both Lunit and its customers in unprecedented ways.

Lunit’s venture into AI platform development marks a pivotal step forward. By seamlessly integrating and managing medical big data through the lens of AI, the company is embarking on a mission to create a comprehensive platform that bridges gaps and revolutionizes healthcare. Lunit’s vision involves constructing a unified ecosystem that connects and learns from diverse hospital datasets, fostering a collaborative environment for medical insights. To achieve this vision, Lunit will actively gather an extensive array of cancer-related data from a spectrum of sources, including screening centers, regional hospitals, clinical trial institutes, and cancer centers spanning the globe. The company is also planning to analyze this wealth of data by employing advanced AI models, unraveling intricate patterns and insights that could redefine cancer diagnostics and treatments.

Lunit’s vision stretches even further into the future, envisioning an autonomous AI model whose reading accuracy possibly reaches an impressive 100%. This foretells a future where autonomous AI becomes proficient in independently interpreting medical images—a transformative leap that holds tremendous promise for patients, healthcare providers, and the industry at large. In essence, the future for Lunit and its customers is one of groundbreaking advancements, elevated standards of care, and transformative capabilities. Lunit is at the dawn of a new age in medical technology, and its commitment to innovation, coupled with the potential of AI, will reshape how we diagnose, treat, and ultimately conquer cancer.

Meet the leader behind the success of Lunit

Lunit was founded in 2013 by a group of six co-founders who are all deep-learning experts and friends from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Brandon Suh, CEO of Lunit, brings a diverse background to the company. As a board-certified physician specializing in Family Medicine, he holds a Master’s in Public Health (M.P.H) with a Bachelor’s in Biological Science.

Brandon’s journey with Lunit began in 2016 when he joined as the Chief Medical Officer, leveraging his medical expertise to drive the company’s mission. In 2018, he took on the role of CEO, uniting his medical knowledge and leadership skills to steer Lunit toward its current position as a leading medical AI company. As 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of Lunit, the company’s dedication to conquering cancer through AI for the betterment of humanity remains unwavering. All six co-founders, along with Brandon, are still actively engaged as full-time, executive-level positions with Lunit, driving its progress and innovations.