CBR Studio marks the launch of the digital platform focused on research to receive COVID-19 cases in Brazil

The Brazilian College of Radiology and Image Diagnosis (CBR) and the Institute of Radiology of the Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo – InRad joined forces in yet another action against COVID-19. In this pandemic scenario, technology has been an important ally and, in this action, it is no different. The digital platform is called RadVid19 and was designed to collect confirmed or suspected COVID-19 RX and CT scans. “This platform is a repository of COVID-19 cases in Brazil, made by a joint action of Brazilian radiologists, and is open to the application of artificial intelligence in order to assist the radiologist in this diagnosis and, in the case of CT, to we make quantitative diagnoses of the onset of the disease”, explains Dr. Claudia da Costa Leite, Associate Professor at the Department of Radiology and Oncology at FMUSP and Head of Teaching and Research at InRad. Supported by CBR, the initiative has the participation of radiologists from all over Brazil so that the platform advances in its purpose. In addition to radiologists, specialists in the area of computing and exact sciences in Brazil can access. At first, cases are collected and, after being organized and classified, they are made available for the development and validation of algorithms. Every radiologist or service that contributes is included on the project's website, which was submitted to the National Research Ethics Commission (CONEP). InRad, through the Innovation Center, is responsible for managing the cloud and CBR, as the entity that represents the specialty, supports this entire process, encouraging the participation of all radiologists in this joint effort. “We hope that Brazil will be able to develop its own algorithms and not need to buy this type of technology from abroad. It is a great challenge that we believe that we Brazilians are capable of overcoming”, adds Dr. Claudia. From the moment the cloud started working and cases began to be collected, this same model could be used for other projects of interest to Brazilian radiologists. “It is CBR's commitment to act jointly with the institutions, uniting all radiologists in Brazil in favor of actions involving the fight against COVID-19. In the case of launching the platform RadVid19, whose focus is research, the contribution to the radiological community is of great value. We count on the participation of all radiologists in the use and dissemination of this important tool”, concludes Dr. Valdair Muglia, scientific director of the CBR.