As a leading pediatric hospital, we treat many patients suffering from severe bacterial infections. In the treatment of severe bacterial infections, it is important to identify the species of bacteria at an early stage of the disease and to administer an effective antimicrobial agent against the bacteria as soon as possible.

However, it takes more than two days at the earliest to identify the species of bacteria. In FY2019, the hospital and the institute will work together to develop a diagnostic support system that can quickly identify the bacterial species from the “appearance” of bacteria observed under a microscope by using artificial intelligence. This technology will enable any hospital in the world to diagnose the causative organisms of serious infections at an early stage with high accuracy, and may lead to the early initiation of appropriate treatment. This is expected to improve the quality of medical care, reduce medical costs and personnel burden, and enhance education on infectious diseases.

In addition, the ability to use appropriate antimicrobial agents is expected to help prevent antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is a pressing problem worldwide.