Heuron, a medical AI company specializing in brain diseases (led by CEO Shin Dong-hoon), participated in the 2024 Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology (SWITCH) held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo from October 28 to 30, 2024.
Singapore SWITCH, one of the country’s flagship startup exhibitions, serves as a global platform to showcase cutting-edge startups and facilitate investor connections and networking. Over 300 companies from around the world attended this year. For South Korea, the Korea Startup Agency and the Korea Venture Capital Association organized a dedicated K-STARTUP pavilion, allowing 27 Korean companies to participate.
Ahead of the main event, Heuron participated in the K-Startup Demo Day on October 25, presenting its business model and international expansion strategies to global investors and stakeholders, which was met with enthusiastic support.
Heuron showcased its products at the K-STARTUP pavilion, presenting the non-contrast CT-based emergency stroke screening solution, Heuron StroCare Suite™, and its degenerative brain disease solution, Heuron AgingCare Suite™.
Heuron StroCare Suite
Heuron StroCare Suite™ is Korea’s only non-contrast CT-based AI solution for stroke screening, integrating three types of software: Heuron ICH, which automatically classifies suspected intracerebral hemorrhage patients; Heuron ELVO, which automatically identifies suspected emergent large vessel occlusion patients; and Heuron ASPECTS, which calculates ischemic stroke severity automatically.
Using only non-contrast CT images, Heuron StroCare Suite™ analyzes stroke within three minutes, assisting healthcare providers in making faster decisions in emergencies. It also screens emergency patients early, classifies them by urgency, and sends alerts to medical staff, enabling prioritization of patient treatment and reducing treatment time for stroke emergencies.
The StroCare mobile app enables medical staff to receive real-time alerts, instantly access patient lists, and make transfer decisions remotely. Its built-in messenger feature facilitates the sharing of original images and seamless communication among the team.
Research conducted in Korean hospitals showed that using Heuron StroCare Suite™ reduced the average treatment initiation time from CT imaging to stroke team action from 26 minutes to about 15 minutes, a 40% reduction. The total time from CT scan to surgery arrival also decreased by around 27%, from 174 minutes to 127 minutes. Heuron StroCare Suite™ can potentially aid rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients worldwide, especially in regions with a shortage of radiology and neurology specialists.
Heuron AgingCare Suite for Alzheimer’s Disease
Degenerative brain diseases are conditions characterized by abnormal neuron loss, unlike general aging, and increase with age, impacting cognitive and motor abilities. Common examples include dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Without a direct treatment, early detection before symptom onset is the only effective approach.
Heuron’s AI-based degenerative brain disease solution, Heuron AgingCare Suite™, comprises early diagnosis solutions for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
For Alzheimer’s, Heuron offers Heuron AD (analyzes brain atrophy against age-matched peers through detailed analysis of 3D MRI images) and Heuron BrainPET (analyzes MRI and PET images, providing customized SUVR and Volume values for 105 segmented brain regions). In March this year, Heuron partnered with Singapore’s National University Hospital to conduct Alzheimer’s disease staging research with Heuron AD and Heuron BrainPET, led by Professor Christopher Chen, a world authority on neurodegenerative disease.
Heuron AgingCare Suite For Parkinson's Disease
The Heuron AgingCare Suite™ for Parkinson’s includes Heuron IPD (the world’s first MRI-based solution to visualize substantia nigra and detect dopamine neuron loss automatically) and Heuron NI (visualizes and quantitatively analyzes substantia nigra and nigrosome regions). Heuron collaborated with Professor Ling Ling Chan’s team at Singapore General Hospital to confirm that AI-assisted diagnosis significantly improves diagnostic accuracy.
Professor Chan’s research team published findings stating that “Heuron IPD/NI performs exceptionally well, offering direct support to the medical system with its objective AI evaluation.”
Expanding Globally from Asia to the U.S.
In 2024, Heuron is building momentum and achieving tangible sales, especially in the Asian and overseas markets.
While collaborating with Singaporean hospitals and scholars, Heuron is preparing regulatory approval for its Parkinson’s solutions in Singapore, where MRI-based diagnosis, more accessible and cost-effective than traditional BrainPET scans, could become a new standard.
Taiwan is another key market. In June, Heuron signed a distribution agreement with Chilli Enterprise for nationwide distribution of its degenerative brain disease solutions, and in May, it partnered with PGI for stroke emergency screening solutions. Heuron, now approved for Heuron AD by the Taiwan FDA, is pursuing additional approvals for Heuron IPD and Heuron StroCare Suite.
In Thailand, Heuron partnered with Medhealth Informatics for nationwide distribution of Heuron StroCare Suite, Heuron AD, and Heuron BrainPET. The company is also collaborating on performance validation studies for Heuron IPD/NI with Siriraj Hospital of Mahidol University and on Alzheimer’s research with Bangkok Dusit Medical Services.
CEO Shin Dong-hoon commented, “Our AI technology, widely recognized globally, is not just for Korea but will play a pivotal role in Asian and American markets.” With five U.S. FDA approvals already, Heuron aims to prove that its solutions represent innovative technology universally applicable across humanity through continuous research and collaboration.
