# Beyond the algorithm: How ASX healthcare finds its AI edge > Source: > Published: 2026-08-17 20:45:58+00:00 # Beyond the algorithm: How ASX healthcare finds its AI edge **Experts reckon the competitive advantage of AI in healthcare comes from what sits around the technology, with several ASX companies building defensible moats****Clever Culture’s APAS Independence deploys AI to automate imaging, analysis and interpretation of microbiology culture plates****Morgans senior healthcare analyst Scott Power says hospitals and healthcare organisations are adopting AI rapidly to improve efficiencies** Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly touching almost every part of modern life, but not all AI is created equal. In healthcare, the technology must demonstrate its reliability before being deployed in highly regulated environments. [ Clever Culture Systems (ASX:CC5)](https://stockhead.com.au/company/clever-culture-systems-cc5/) CEO Brent Barnes believes the competitive advantage in such specialised AI comes from what sits around the technology such as proprietary intellectual property, specialist knowledge, validation and regulatory expertise. The company has spent years developing its flagship Automated Plate Assessment System, dubbed APAS Independence, which analyses microbiology culture plates. APAS Independence uses AI and computer vision to automate the imaging, analysis and interpretation of microbiology culture plates. It is the only US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared AI technology for automated culture plate reading and is being sold to pharmaceutical manufacturers for environmental monitoring. Among its big pharma clients are AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer and Thermo Fisher (Patheon). Barnes argues that the AI itself is only one layer of APAS Independence’s competitive advantage. Other layers include validation using organism-specific data by expert microbiologists, proven performance against regulated pharmacopoeia requirements, quality systems and integration into established clinical or manufacturing workflows. Each layer adds time, cost and complexity but potentially also creates a moat and barrier to competitors. “APAS is built by microbiologists, for microbiologists and has taken more than 10 years of knowledge to design, execute and provide the evidence that APAS algorithms work to GMP standards,” Barnes said. “High regulatory standards are required and applied to automation for good reason.” ## More than AI at heart of Artrya’s cardiac care platform [ Artrya (ASX:AYA)](https://stockhead.com.au/company/artrya-aya/) CEO and co-founder John Konstantopoulos agrees with Barnes, telling Stockhead the real competitive advantage comes from combining AI “with clinical expertise, rigorous validation and, importantly, embedding it into the way clinicians and health systems actually work”. Artrya is developing AI-powered tools to improve the detection and management of coronary artery disease. Its Salix Coronary Anatomy platform received FDA 510(k) clearance in March 2025, enabling assessment of coronary anatomy, including stenosis, calcification and plaque burden, within 10 minutes of a coronary CT angiogram. Its Salix Coronary Plaque module was cleared in August 2025 to detect high-risk vulnerable plaque, a key predictor of heart attack. Artrya is preparing an FDA submission for its Coronary Flow module, which will add blood flow assessment to the Salix platform. “We are not simply using AI to identify disease on a scan, we are using it to change the way coronary artery disease is assessed and managed,” Konstantopoulos said. “By delivering results in near real time, at the point of care and directly into existing hospital workflows, Salix enables cardiologists to make faster, more informed decisions while improving efficiency, throughput, the revenue cycle and ultimately patient care. Konstantopoulos said Artrya had a significant and increasingly difficult-to-replicate moat. “It is not one technology or one feature, it is the combination of our large data library, AI, the Salix platform, deep integration into health systems, the workflow efficiencies we create and the clinical value we deliver. “Replicating that combination requires significant technology, clinical, regulatory and implementation expertise, as well as time and scale. He said Artrya was also working to constantly disrupt its technology by finding novel ways to improve existing capabilities while developing new features and expanding what Salix can do. “We believe that combination of deep integration and continuous innovation is what will allow us to build a durable competitive advantage over the long term,” he said. **Read Dr Boreham’s Crucible: Artrya bets on AI to outsmart heart disease** ## High stakes in medical AI The stakes are particularly high in healthcare, where AI errors can have serious consequences for patient safety. Barnes said that means simply demonstrating that an AI model can perform a task is not enough. Its performance must be rigorously tested, validated and documented within the environment in which it will be used. He noted that in 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued major safety warnings and recalls for multiple brands of artificial tears and lubricating eye drops contaminated with the drug-resistant bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. [The contaminated products](https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/eye-drop-recall-2026-fda-flags-over-3-million-bottles-eye-doctors-explain-what-you-should-know/2026/04) were associated with four deaths, 14 cases of vision loss and 80 severe eye infections. More recently in April, a US company also recalled lubricating eye drops after the FDA issued an Enforcement Report that cited a lack of assurance of sterility. “Validated sterility control systems matter,” Barnes said. “Environmental monitoring is one critical layer that detects microbial contamination before it reaches patients.” ## ASX health imaging plays offer more than AI With a market cap of ~$14.5 billion, [ ProMedicus (ASX:PME)](https://stockhead.com.au/company/promedicus-pme/) is the largest of the ASX-listed medical imaging software names, delivering consistently strong earnings supported by global demand for its Visage imaging platform. Pro Medicus has also been caught up in share price volatility as investors question valuations and the potential impact of AI on software stocks. While Visage uses AI, CEO and co-founder Sam Hupert said Visage 7’s competitive advantage isn’t just the technology. “It is a very specialised, highly technical, patented suite of software that incorporates more than 30 years of domain knowledge,” [he told investors earlier this year.](https://cdn-api.markitdigital.com/apiman-gateway/ASX/asx-research/1.0/file/2924-03055702-3A686959&v=undefined) “It is not a product that can be readily replicated with or without AI. We have not left a roadmap for others to follow.” ## Singular Health builds infrastructure for AI in medical imaging [ Singular Health Group Ltd (ASX:SHG)](https://stockhead.com.au/company/singular-health-group-shg/) chief operating officer Dr Martina Mariano said AI represented a significant opportunity for the company, but the real value would come from how it is integrated into the clinical imaging workflow rather than from the technology in isolation. The company’s 3DICOM platform is designed to improve how medical images are accessed, visualised and shared across healthcare systems. “Healthcare has an enormous volume of rich imaging data, but that data is often fragmented across different systems and locations,” Mariano told Stockhead. “With 3DICOM, we have built the infrastructure to securely transfer, visualise and analyse that data, creating a foundation upon which AI can be practically deployed. “As AI models become increasingly capable and more accessible, we believe the strategic value moves towards platforms that can provide those models with the right data, within the right workflow, and deliver their outputs in a way that is useful to clinicians. “For Singular Health, that creates opportunities not only to incorporate our own AI capabilities, but, more importantly, to become the infrastructure through which multiple specialised AI models can be deployed across medical imaging. “We see that interoperability between imaging data, healthcare providers and AI as an important part of the future of 3DICOM.” ## BlinkLab and EchoIQ improve efficiency in diagnosis Morgans senior healthcare analyst Scott Power said healthcare organisations were becoming more comfortable integrating AI into clinical and operational settings to improve efficiencies. “Healthcare has always been a slow adopter of new technology,” he told Stockhead. “However, we are seeing increasingly that many hospitals and healthcare organisations are adopting AI at quite a rapid rate. “We’ve got some good examples of where diagnostic tools using AI can help improve efficiencies including [ Blinklab (ASX:BB1)](https://stockhead.com.au/company/blinklab-bb1/) and [.”](https://stockhead.com.au/company/echo-iq-eiq/) **Echo IQ (ASX:EIQ)** BlinkLab is combining neuroscience, smartphone technology, digital neurobehavioural biomarkers, AI and machine learning to help clinicians assess neurodevelopmental conditions. Founded as a Princeton University startup in 2021, Blinklab listed on the ASX in 2024 with its initial focus on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The platform enables neurometric testing to be conducted using a smartphone, including eye-based, facial and postural reflexive responses, with data analysed centrally to generate an objective output to support clinical decision-making. “At the moment it can take months to see a specialist and get a diagnosis for autism or ADHD and BlinkLab’s technology can potentially save considerable time,” Power said. Echo IQ secured FDA 510(k) clearance for its EchoSolv AS aortic stenosis software in October 2024. It is now seeking US FDA 510(k) clearance for EchoSolv HF, which uses AI to analyse heart ultrasound scans (echocardiograms), automatically reviewing images and measurements to help doctors detect heart failure. Echo IQ entered a strategic investment and commercial reseller partnership with Pro Medicus in June. [ProMedicus agreed to invest up to $20 million](https://stockhead.com.au/health/health-check-for-pro-medicus-lightning-strikes-twice-on-another-asx-listed-imaging-up-and-comer/) via convertible notes and distribute EchoSolv HF to US healthcare networks upon FDA approval. “EchoIQ’s scans are reading out results for cardiologists in minutes compared to hours or days so this sort of efficiency will help enormously with workflows for hospitals and clinicians.,” Power said. *This story does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decision* *At Stockhead we tell it like it is. While Clever Culture System and Singular Health Group are Stockhead advertisers, they did not sponsor this article.* *Corporate disclosure: Morgans Corporate was joint lead manager to the placement of shares for Imricor Medical Systems and BlinkLab in April 2026 along with co-manager to the placement of shares in EchoIQ in June 2026 and has received fees in this regard.* *Disclosure: Scott Power owns shares in BlinkLab* ## Related Topics ### UNLOCK INSIGHTS Discover the untold stories of emerging ASX stocks. Daily news and expert analysis, it's free to subscribe. By proceeding, you confirm you understand that we handle personal information in accordance with our [Privacy Policy](https://stockhead.com.au/privacy-policy/).