Artificial Intelligence for Medical Services (AIM)

Zealar's second major initiative is to harness advanced AI technologies to enhance homecare solutions for the elderly.

Artificial Intelligence for Medical Services (AIM) is emerging as one of the most promising applications of AI, with researchers developing systems to aid clinical decision-making. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical role of AI in healthcare, demonstrating its ability to rapidly detect and diagnose various virus strains while leveraging personalized data to improve outbreak management.

Zealar’s AIM initiative aims to enhance healthcare service quality while reducing costs. With rising life expectancy and an aging population, the prevalence of chronic diseases is increasing, placing greater demand on hospitals. AI algorithms can analyze patients' health data and medical histories, assisting healthcare providers in quickly identifying conditions and formulating effective treatment plans.

A fundamental aspect of AI and machine learning development is the accumulation of high-quality data. To establish a competitive edge, Zealar will focus on collecting and curating its own dataset. The vast volume of patient health data generated daily must be stored and managed effectively. The increasing demand for personalized medicine, the rapid generation of genomic and proteomic data, and the need for maintaining digital health records are accelerating the adoption of AI in healthcare. By integrating AI into healthcare systems, professionals can diagnose diseases earlier and improve patient care.

ICU Division: AI-Driven Intensive Care

To advance its AIM initiative, Zealar will establish two specialized divisions: the ICU Division and the AD Division.

The ICU Division will develop an AI-powered platform initially focused on intensive care services. Intensive Care Units (ICUs) provide critical care to patients with severe or life-threatening conditions, requiring constant monitoring and intervention. Zealar’s AI-Platform will go beyond routine monitoring by creating predictive models and causal inference algorithms to optimize treatment decisions.

Intensive care involves complex, sequential decision-making. For example, in sepsis management, treatment decisions—such as fluid administration and vasopressor use—must be made at multiple points during a patient's ICU stay. Typically, ICU treatments follow predefined protocols based on a patient’s evolving condition. Zealar’s AI-Platform will integrate into these processes, offering data-driven insights to improve patient outcomes.

To facilitate development, Zealar will collaborate with the University of Pennsylvania Hospital to renovate or construct an ICU room. A key innovation will be a patent-pending bed that enables caregivers to provide most services without entering the room, while allowing patients to receive care without leaving the bed. The ICU will be equipped with advanced medical devices, including mechanical ventilators, hemodialysis machines, cardiac monitors, and systems for continuous physiological monitoring. Additionally, essential medical supplies such as intravenous lines, feeding tubes, suction pumps, and syringe pumps will be incorporated.

Zealar’s AI-Platform will provide seamless access to a patient’s historical data, continuously monitor real-time conditions, and display key information on doctors' screens. AI-driven processes—such as image interpretation, outcome prediction, and treatment decision-making—will be fully transparent and interpretable to ensure regulatory compliance and medical acceptance.

Every clinical intervention and its outcomes, along with genomic and proteomic data, will be collected, de-identified, standardized using natural language processing (NLP), and stored in Zealar’s proprietary database. This database will serve as the foundation for further AI enhancements.

The platform will also include an automated surveillance system for healthcare-associated infections, utilizing diagnosis codes, microbiological data, and medication records to enable early detection and continuous monitoring.

In the next phase (2–3 years), Zealar will expand its AI-Platform’s capabilities across additional hospital departments in collaboration with UPenn Hospital. The vision is for Zealar’s AI-Platform to become the standard for next-generation hospitals.

Zealar’s product offerings will include homecare suites, advanced patient beds, and the AI-Platform, along with services for installation, training, maintenance, and upgrades.

AD Division: AI Solutions for Alzheimer's Disease

The AD Division will develop AI-powered devices to improve the quality of life for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) patients. AD is an irreversible neurodegenerative condition that progresses gradually, ultimately rendering patients completely dependent on caregivers. It is now considered a silent pandemic, with approximately 50 million cases worldwide as of 2020. Early symptoms include short-term memory loss, which worsens over time, leading to impaired cognitive function and loss of independence. As the disease advances, patients may fail to recognize loved ones, develop incontinence, and require full-time care.

Beyond the personal and emotional toll, AD imposes significant societal costs. While research into treatments continues, innovation in neuroscience has stagnated in past decades. However, with renewed investment, new therapies are expected to emerge, offering hope for patients. According to a Deloitte report, the global neuroscience market was valued at $612 billion and is projected to grow to $721 billion by 2026, with digital health experiencing a 27.8% compound annual growth rate.

While scientists work toward a cure, Zealar acknowledges that many individuals will need to live with AD in the foreseeable future. To address this challenge, Zealar is developing AI-powered portable and wearable devices designed to improve daily life for AD patients.

Zealar also recognizes that AI has yet to gain widespread acceptance in independent medical applications, largely due to skepticism among healthcare professionals and evolving government regulations. The AI-medical field is driven by government initiatives, private-sector partnerships, and the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At this stage, Zealar’s goal is to develop platforms and devices that healthcare providers can test and evaluate. These platforms will incorporate ChatGPT to facilitate remote interactions between patients, doctors, and AI systems. Through this process, Zealar will collect and refine its proprietary dataset, strengthening its competitive advantage in AI-driven healthcare solutions.