Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved a UK-developed AI platform for lung cancer detection, marking a significant step in clinical innovation.
The platform, developed by Optellum, is called the Virtual Nodule Clinic and uses a clinically validated AI tool to assess lung nodules, prioritise care pathways, and predict cancer risk. The software is already authorised for clinical use in the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, New Zealand health IT company Medtech Global has launched an AI solution integrated directly into its widely used practice management system, supporting clinical documentation and patient record review in primary care.
The platform, called Medtech AI, generates structured consultation notes, referral letters, and correspondence while synthesising patient histories into a dashboard displaying medications, conditions, allergies, immunisations, and recent consultations.
According to a company release, the AI can summarise complex patient histories in roughly 20 seconds and updates the patient record with clinician-approved outputs accessible via web and mobile devices.
In another development, Perth-based OncoRes Medical has raised A$27 million ($19 million) in private funding to advance its Elora quantitative micro-elastography imaging system for breast cancer. Elora provides real-time intraoperative mapping of tissue stiffness to guide surgeons in detecting and removing residual tumour tissue.
Clinical trials are planned across six hospitals in Western Australia and Victoria, recruiting over 110 patients. The system received the US FDA Breakthrough Device Designation in 2020, highlighting its potential in improving surgical outcomes.
These developments underscore a growing global trend of AI integration in healthcare, enhancing diagnostic accuracy, clinical efficiency, and surgical precision.
