Cutting-edge AI tools will enhance the management and communication of research for Arthritis

Razor powers AI-driven technology for leading UK charity Versus Arthritis

Razor selected to innovate the AI technology offering of UK’s leading charity for arthritis

Cutting-edge AI tools will enhance the management and communication of research

Further projects will enhance charity services and health information

01 Jun 2020: Razor - the Sheffield-based, cutting-edge technology company - has been selected by Versus Arthritis as a strategic partner to deliver new and innovative AI technologies which will improve how medical research, helping millions of people, is managed and communicated.

With over 18 million people in the UK with arthritis or related musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, the scale and pace of arthritis research is not proportionate to the huge impact on society - it is Versus Arthritis’s strategic priority to rectify this. It is estimated that arthritis-related pain alone costs the health service £5 billion every year in England.

Razor will build upon existing business intelligence that exists around Versus Arthritis research portfolio, revolutionising the way that the charity maximises its research investment to improve the quality of life for people living with arthritis.

Razor will also be working on projects across the charity which will improve and streamline how people with arthritis are communicated with online, through insights available from current AI applications such as AVA, the Versus Arthritis chatbot. Unstructured data held by the charity will be also used to better understand what people with arthritis need in terms of services and health information.

Razor’s work will be focused on building upon existing tools and developing a number of new products from conception. Combining design and development sprints and an ongoing strategy, the partnership is geared towards leveraging Versus Arthritis transformative and scalable approach to capitalise on emerging possibilities within AI technology.

Ellie Mosley, Head of Client Services at Razor, commented: “Everyone at Razor was delighted to secure this partnership with such an important and impactful organisation. As a business, we are passionate about helping companies deliver on technology which puts people first. This partnership brings that mission into sharp focus. Everything we deliver for Versus Arthritis will be geared up towards helping the huge number of people with arthritis and their families which the charity serves.

“Our team will be working with the newest AI technology, harnessing data across a broad landscape. What we’re planning to deliver will ensure Versus Arthritis is locating the right knowledge at the right time for patients and for internal research programmes. We can’t wait to help develop innovative new ways of working for the charity.”

Amanda Neylon, Director of Insight, Technology and Data, at Versus Arthritis said: “The AI and machine learning landscape has changed dramatically since we began our journey with AVA, the Arthritis Virtual Assistant. There are new opportunities emerging daily where AI could help us achieve our ambitions in supporting people with arthritis and how we talk about research. Our partnership with Razor will allow us to future-proof and forge a scalable AI strategy. We’re excited by the possibilities this brings.

“We look to continually improve our offering for millions of people with arthritis and the researchers, healthcare professionals, volunteers and fundraisers who work tirelessly to ensure that in the future no one has to live with the pain, fatigue and isolation of arthritis”

The partnership is a commitment from Versus Arthritis into the future of a growing and ever-evolving technology. Since 2016, Versus Arthritis has been using AI with a mixture of valuable explorative and automation tools. This has included conversational AI and natural language processing in the form of their Arthritis Virtual Assistant (AVA).

The partnership began in April 2020 and is planned to last a minimum of 12 months.

ENDS

Notes for editors

There are 18.8 million people living with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition like arthritis in the UK. That’s one in four people, with half of those living in pain every single day. The impact is huge as the condition intrudes on everyday life – affecting the ability to work, care for a family, to move free from pain and to live independently. Yet arthritis is often dismissed as an inevitable part of aging or shrugged off as ‘just a bit of arthritis’. We don’t think that this is ok.

Building on the legacies and expertise of both Arthritis Research UK and Arthritis Care, Versus Arthritis is here to change that. Find out more at www.versusarthritis.org.

Versus Arthritis has recently carried out the It’s not Alright - It’s Arthritis campaign which is helping fight the sense of isolation and loneliness Arthritis causes. It is asking the public to join the organisation and speak out in support of everyone living with the hidden pain arthritis brings.

AI is recognised as a high growth area for charitable or social good applications for improving accessibility and experience for service users, and for harnessing the power of machine learning algorithms to analyse data at unprecedented scale and speed in order to develop new insights. Charities Aid Foundation, 2019

For more details, images and any further information please contact:

Lianne Barnard, lianne@ha-lo.co

Georgia Jaggs, georgia@ha-lo.co

Jess Ratty, jess@ha-lo.co


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