Medtronic announced today that the GI Genius™ intelligent endoscopy module has been named to the prestigious FORTUNE 2022 ‘Change the World’ list. The annual list recognizes leading global companies that use the creative tools of capitalism to address society’s most pressing needs.

Each year, FORTUNE identifies companies that have had a positive social impact through activities that are part of their core business strategy. Eligible businesses, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations are nominated and ranked based on key criteria, including, measurable social impact on one or more specific societal problems; business results and the benefit that the socially impactful work brings to the company; degree of innovation and how the company’s effort is relative to that of others in the industry.

“It is an absolute honor to have GI Genius selected for this prominent recognition,” said Giovanni Di Napoli, president of the Medtronic Gastrointestinal business, which is part of the Medical Surgical Portfolio at Medtronic. “At Medtronic, our purpose powers our innovation to develop life-saving medical therapies. This means delivering impact for the diverse global communities we serve. Our expanding AI capabilities at Medtronic create opportunities to deliver against unmet needs, including across the Gastrointestinal (GI) practice.”

Medtronic is committed to solving the world’s biggest health challenges with healthcare technology. That is why AI and data are not only transformative trends in the industry, but also strategic pillars for Medtronic – and GI Genius is a clear example of that. Today, the GI Genius module is the first commercially available computer-aided detection system using AI to help physicians detect polyps and flag signs of colon cancer. The module is poised to have a world-changing impact in the fight against colorectal cancer and improve patient outcomes by assisting physicians in identifying polyps they might otherwise miss.

Colorectal cancer is the second deadliest cancer and the third most common cancer globally. One in 20 U.S. adults will be diagnosed with this disease in their lifetime. Screening is one of the most effective ways to prevent or diagnose it early — when it is most treatable. When detected early, 90% of patients can beat colorectal cancer. And that’s where the GI Genius™ intelligent endoscopy module can make a profound world-changing impact by enhancing standard colonoscopies for the +10 million U.S. patients who undergo screenings annually.

With every 1% increase in precancerous lesion detection rates, the rates of interval colorectal cancer (cancer occurring after a negative screening) fall by 3%. A study demonstrated that GI Genius could increase the detection of hard-to-detect precancerous polyps by up to 14.4%, and in the recently published DETECT study, it was shown to reduce the missed polyp rate by nearly 50%.

The GI Genius module can detect lesions or flat polyps in real-time during colonoscopy procedures. With leading AI technology, we’re improving colonoscopy polyp detection rates and helping to reduce variability in patient outcomes.

The Medtronic Health Equity Assistance Program, launched in February 2022, has donated 133 GI Genius units to 62 facilities in low-income and underserved communities across the United States where screening rates are low or where access to the technology is not currently available.

This is the second time Medtronic has been named to FORTUNE’s annual ‘Change the World’ list. In 2020, Medtronic was included for its efforts to increase ventilator production at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

View the complete FORTUNE 2022 ‘Change the World' list here.