(Yicai Global) Feb. 27 -- Tencent Holdings and Zhong Nanshan, a famous Chinese respiratory disease specialist, will join hands to establish an artificial intelligence and Big Data lab to study viruses and warn about future epidemics.

The duo will use Tencent's Healthcare mini-program on WeChat and other platforms to screen and provide medical guidance to at-risk populations, the Economic Daily reported today. They will try to forecast outbreaks such as Covid-19, influenza, as well as hand, foot, and mouth disease. They will also focus on medical imaging methods to detect respiratory diseases more efficiently.

The experienced epidemiologist was earlier appointed as the leader of an experts team set up by the National Health and Medical Commission to find ways to combat Covid-19. During the early 2000s severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak, the scientist developed criteria to diagnose the illness.

Zhong will serve as the director of the new research center. Deputy directors include He Jianxing, director of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, as well as Tencent Healthcare's Vice Presidents Wu Wenda and Liu Yu.

Tencent announced yesterday that it will establish a CNY88 million (USD12.6 million) fund to support public healthcare and medical research. Many hospitals in Hubei province, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak, have used Tencent Miying imaging analysis software and the Shenzhen-based firm's cloud computing technology to identify the new virus that causes pneumonia.

Editor: Emmi Laine