Saving Lives with Data

When a patient is diagnosed with lung cancer, their treatment options are limited: chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. But thanks to technological advancements in healthcare, an alternative approach could soon be available: a simple injection designed to help the body fight cancer.

Researchers at NEC Laboratories Europe in Heidelberg in Southwest Germany are working hard to make that scenario a reality by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to pioneer therapeutic cancer vaccines. Their AI-powered model is expanding on research into the immune system’s ability to detect and combat tumor cells. To ensure the model makes accurate predictions, however, vast amounts of data are needed. “Patient data is the foundation of our research,” explains Dr. Saverio Niccolini, General Manager and Research Director for Data Science and System Platforms at NEC Laboratories Europe. Volume is critical: “The more data we have, the more precise the AI becomes. This reduces errors and ensures reliable predictions across different patient groups.”

Markets Germany 02/25 | © GTAI

 

 

This article was published in issue 2-2025 of the Markets Germany Magazine.  Read more articles of this issue  here

In other words, data can save lives. To support such innovations, the German government ratified two new measures to support the creation of a comprehensive health data pool. “The new regulations make Germany an even more attractive hub for health research and open up significant business opportunities, particularly in AI-driven applications,” says Julia Pietsch, Senior Manager for Chemicals & Healthcare at Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI). She anticipates a wellspring of interest from international companies looking to capitalize on these developments.

A vast resource

The most significant development was the introduction of the electronic patient record (ePA) in early 2025. This electronic patient record will be automatically assigned to everyone insured through Germany’s statutory health insurance system — approximately 75 million people — unless they opt out. The ePA will store health data, including diagnoses, treatments, and prescriptions, which will be made available for medical research in anonymized form.

This vast corpus of digital health records will be an invaluable resource for medical companies leveraging AI. Dr. Johannes Winter, managing director of the CAIMed research center, says, “I’m not aware of any other systematically recorded and cleaned health dataset of this scale that can be used for AI-based research in a legally compliant and ethically sound manner.” AI is playing an increasingly central role in accelerating drug and therapy development, assisting doctors in diagnostics and surgery, and enhancing patient care through intelligent wearables. But the models must be trained on extensive datasets to function reliably.

Streamlined access

Beginning in mid-2025, authorized entities will be able to access ePA data through a dedicated research data center. “Until now, access was mostly limited to health insurers and public research institutions. Now, industry players will also be able to apply,” explains Natalie Gladkov from the German medical technology industry association BVMed. Once an application is approved, researchers will gain access to a virtual analysis platform containing data tailored to their specific research needs. 

And Gladkov sees room for improvement in this process: “Digital workflows need to be further optimized to better support researchers, particularly in product development,” she says. Once up and running, this data infrastructure will unlock a wealth of opportunities for companies developing innovative diagnostics, therapies and medications.

Expanding AI’s capabilities in medicine

AI-powered systems are already transforming other areas of medicine such as radiology and dermatology in Germany by helping analyze medical images with remarkable accuracy. “Modern AI applications can detect anomalies in X-rays, MRI scans, and even photographs of skin lesions, aiding doctors in making early diagnoses,” says Winter. Enhanced access to patient data pools will streamline the complex AI training process, further improving these systems’ performance.

Looking ahead, research institutions and healthcare companies across the board stand to benefit from Germany’s comprehensive health data resources. The technology is central for not only developers of AI-driven apps, diagnostic tools and telemedicine platforms, but also manufacturers of smart medical devices, wearables and health-monitoring sensors. This includes companies working in the growing area of personalized medicine. “Germany’s health data ecosystem opens up long-term possibilities for us to further refine our AI models, making treatments more personalized, precise, and effective,” says Niccolini.