Medical artificial intelligence (AI) specialist company Purple AI is emerging as a new innovator in the field of stroke diagnosis. Purple AI, spun off from SK C&C's AI healthcare team, is a deep-tech medical startup co-founded by radiology professors from Seoul National University Hospital and Ajou University Hospital. It is rapidly expanding its lineup of AI medical devices for emergency brain disease diagnosis, increasing its presence in both domestic and international markets.

Purple AI began AI medical research at SK C&C in 2019 and in 2021 became the first in Korea to receive approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for an AI-based cerebral hemorrhage diagnosis solution. Subsequently, it completed approvals for AI devices for cerebral infarction and cerebral aneurysm diagnosis, establishing a portfolio of three AI stroke diagnosis solutions. Notably, the cerebral hemorrhage diagnosis AI was designated as an innovative medical technology by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and received FDA 510(k) approval last year, proving its global competitiveness.

Reducing the golden time for emergency brain diseases… Accelerating treatment timelines

Stroke has a high mortality rate and a very short golden time for treatment of about three hours. Purple AI's AI solution automatically detects lesions in non-contrast CT images, significantly reducing the reading time for medical staff.

In a multicenter clinical trial conducted by Seoul National University and Ajou University Hospitals, the application of AI improved the diagnostic accuracy of medical staff by more than 20% and reduced consultation time from 27 minutes to 12 minutes. Particularly in subtypes of cerebral hemorrhage (such as subarachnoid, subdural, and intraventricular hemorrhages), it showed a sensitivity of over 95%, achieving the highest levels of accuracy and processing speed among more than ten FDA-registered peer products.

The cerebral infarction diagnosis AI, approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2024, is evaluated as a 'global first' technology capable of detecting even micro-lesions in non-contrast CT images. It has achieved innovation in the emergency treatment process by detecting small vessel infarctions that previously required MRI scans.

The cerebral aneurysm diagnosis AI, approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in August this year, is the only domestic solution based on CT angiography (CTA) and showed 18 percentage points higher accuracy than medical staff even for small lesions under 3mm.

Applied in 40 hospitals in Korea… Collaboration with Harvard University Hospital

Since March this year, Purple AI has been conducting clinical demonstrations by applying its AI solution in about 40 general hospitals in Korea. Major tertiary hospitals such as Seoul National University, Severance, Korea University, Hallym University, and Chosun University Hospitals are participating, and in the Gangwon region, it operates a remote consultation platform with Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital to support emergency patient transfer systems.

Internationally, it has signed research agreements with Massachusetts General Brigham (MGB) Hospital, UMASS Hospital, and others, conducting AI demonstration research using data from 5,000 American patients. Additionally, it is collaborating with U.S. medical AI platform CARPL and telemedicine platform VSee to build a 'smart emergency center' network.

Purple AI plans to expand beyond diagnosis to prognosis prediction and treatment decision-making AI, covering the entire clinical cycle. Park Byung-jun, CEO of Purple AI, stated, "For AI to have a practical clinical impact in medical settings, the improvement value in the treatment process is as important as accuracy," adding, "Based on the proven technology of cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction AI, we aim to expand into prognosis prediction and treatment recommendation areas to grow into a world-leading AI specialist for neurological diseases."

Purple AI is currently recognized for its technology and growth potential, being selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' Super Gap Startup 1000+, carrying out deep-tech TIPS projects, and designated as a First Penguin company by the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund. Within a year of its establishment, it completed a KRW 2.5 billion Pre-A investment round and aims to enter 120 hospitals in Korea and make a full-scale entry into the North American market by 2026.

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