AstraZeneca international company and Skolkovo resident K-Sky will develop digital algorithms to speed up the interpretation of symptoms and test results of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) by doctors. The medical decision support system will help increase the detection of the disease and prevent the negative consequences of its progression.

The project will develop digital algorithms for identifying patients with chronic kidney disease based on the analysis of electronic medical records validated on the data of each region using the Webiomed artificial intelligence platform.

Andrey Salikov, commercial director of K-Sky: “Our joint project is aimed at identifying a dangerous pathology - chronic kidney disease, which is very important for Russia. Together with AstraZeneca, we will apply artificial intelligence technologies to detect patients with CKD at an early stage, which will allow timely treatment and reduce the burden of this disease for both patients and our country's healthcare system. We thank AstraZeneca for the trust placed in us. We will actively continue cooperation.”

Machine learning-based models will help to quickly process and analyze large amounts of information in a high-quality manner. This will significantly reduce the time doctors have to spend interpreting patients' symptoms and laboratory results. Timely determination of the pathology and the appointment of treatment will prevent negative consequences from the progression of the disease.

Anna Brashchenkova, medical director of AstraZeneca's Biopharma in Russia and Eurasia: “In Russia, about 27 million people suffer from chronic kidney disease, and only 3 million are aware of their diagnosis. The problem of underdiagnosis of CKD is a heavy burden on the healthcare system, resulting in a decrease in the quality of life and disability of millions of patients. To solve this problem, pharmaceutical companies today are not limited to the development and production of drugs, but are looking for integrated approaches to therapy and screening. We hope that the joint project with K-Sky will help Russian patients receive a diagnosis and start treatment on time.”

The companies will test the algorithms together with medical experts in real clinical practice. The result of the work will be the current system of support for medical decisions - an algorithm that acts as a physician's assistant to improve the diagnosis of CKD. Summing up the results of the joint project is planned for the end of 2022.

Yulia Shcheglova, project manager of the Biomedical Technology Cluster of the Skolkovo Foundation: “The joint project between K-Sky and AstraZeneca is a good example of how the Skolkovo ecosystem works. Such partnerships, especially in the field of introducing artificial intelligence technologies and big data processing, are an absolute priority for the Fund. We welcome the desire of our resident to actively cooperate with the leaders of the pharmaceutical market and leading domestic medical experts in terms of solving strategic national tasks in the field of healthcare - prevention, early detection and reduction of morbidity. We look forward to the successful implementation and replication of the project.”

The prevalence of CKD is comparable to such diseases as arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Early detection is an important task and largely depends on the vigilance and competence of doctors.