Google agrees research partnership with Moorfields

Technology giant Google has confirmed a tie-up between its DeepMind research unit and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Pearse Keane, a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields, had contacted DeepMind to explore working together to tackle diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The resulting joint research project will aim to investigate how machine learning could help analyse these fundus and OCT scans quicker and lead to earlier detection and intervention for patients.

One million anonymised eye scans and some related anonymous information about eye condition and disease management will be shared with Google for the research.

A joint statement said: ‘We’re proud to be contributing to the many thousands of medical research efforts underway at any given time. As is standard practice in such projects, we never own the data - the NHS does. And we’re bound by clear rules covering what we can do with it, which are distinct to though equally strict as the rules that govern our direct patient care work with the Royal Free Hospital.