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# Novartis Foundation and Microsoft Partner to Develop AI-Enabled Digital Health Tool for Early Leprosy Detection
##### The Novartis Foundation and Microsoft are partnering to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled Digital Health tool and a Leprosy Intelligent Image Atlas to aid in the early detection of leprosy
Mar 26, 2019 10:35 AM ET
Campaign: [Novartis Foundation Leprosy Elimination Initiative](/node/60902)  Capturing an image of a leprosy lesion for the Leprosy Intelligent Image Atlas at Fiocruz in Brazil
BASEL, Switzerland, March 26, 2018 /3BL Media/ – The Novartis Foundation and Microsoft are partnering to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled Digital Health tool and a Leprosy Intelligent Image Atlas to aid in the early detection of leprosy. Over 200,000 people are diagnosed with leprosy every year. Brazil, India, and Indonesia account for about 80% of new cases. If untreated, patients are left with lifelong disabilities and are often stigmatized in their societies.
Microsoft and the Novartis Foundation will collaborate with local investigators from Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in Brazil to develop a protocol to examine anonymized images collected by Fiocruz. This will include a high-resolution image and metadata capture protocol to process leprosy skin lesion images.
The imagery and AI code are planned to be made publicly accessible at a later stage to empower leprosy researchers to accelerate research excellence in this field, leading to better outcomes.
“This partnership is expected to demonstrate how digital health technology can have a transformative impact on global health challenges. Together, we aim to accelerate leprosy detection in order to prevent patients from developing nerve damage. Bundling expertise from the health and tech sectors to pioneer innovative digital health solutions such as this one, can make it possible to reimagine the way we fight leprosy. Early detection and prompt treatment of patients remains the best way to interrupt leprosy transmission,” said Dr. Ann Aerts, Head of Novartis Foundation. “Together with Microsoft we are pioneering an innovative digital tool to accelerate leprosy detection, to make this ancient disease history once and for all.”
The publication of the first version of the image atlas is planned for mid-2019.
**About leprosy**
Leprosy is one of the oldest diseases known to man, but today an estimated 2-3 million people are still living with physical disability and stigmatization as a result of the disease. The disease often occurs in hard-to-reach communities with poor access to healthcare, where untreated patients continue to spread the infection. For the past decade, over 200,000 people have been newly diagnosed with the disease each year – including thousands of children. This lack of progress partly results from dwindling attention from health services and a decrease in political will, funding and the absence of new tools to fight the disease. It demonstrates the urgent need for the global health community to join forces and unite our efforts to interrupt further spread of the disease.
**About the Novartis Foundation**
The Novartis Foundation is a philanthropic organization that strives to have sustainable impact on the health of low-income communities through a combination of programmatic work, health outcomes research, and its translation into policy to tackle global health challenges. We work hand-in-hand with local and global partners to catalyze sustainable healthcare models to improve access and health outcomes, and to accelerate efforts to eliminate leprosy and malaria by focusing on interventions that aim to interrupt transmission. Everything we do is grounded in evidence and innovation, and our work is a continuous cycle of evaluation, adaptation and application. In 2017, the operational budget for the Foundation was CHF 15 million and our programs reached 7 million people.
For over 30 years, Novartis and the Novartis Foundation have been working with partners around the world to eliminate leprosy. The introduction of multidrug therapy (MDT) in 1981 has helped lead to a 99% reduction in the global burden of leprosy. MDT has been donated for free by Novartis since 2000, reaching almost 7 million patients to date. The donation is part of the Novartis commitment to the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases. The Novartis Foundation is founding member of the newly established Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy, aiming to interrupt transmission and achieve zero new leprosy cases.
**More information**
- Watch this [short video](https://youtu.be/LwpuzfnDai8) about how Novartis and the Novartis Foundation are working to make leprosy history.
- View this [photo essay](https://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/gallery/2018/jan/26/tackling-leprosy-in-the-philippines-in-pictures) on The Guardian about tackling leprosy in the Philippines.
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**Novartis Media Relations**
Central media line: +41 61 324 2200
E-mail:
Nikolaus Guntrum
Head Global Communications and Reporting, Novartis Foundation
+41 (0)79 596 4661 (mobile)
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