Medical Imaging: A Broad Term with Various Technologies
Medical imaging is a broad term that encompasses several distinct technologies. French startup Gleamer, which has been working on AI-powered tools to enhance X-rays and mammographies, is now aiming to tackle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Acquisition and Merging with Caerus Medical and Pixyl
Instead of starting from scratch, Gleamer has acquired a startup that has already been working on AI-powered MRI analysis, Caerus Medical, and is merging with Pixyl. These two companies have been working in this space for several years, and Gleamer is acquiring them to move faster in the market.
Gleamer’s Journey
Founded in 2017, Gleamer has been building an AI assistant for radiologists, a kind of copilot for medical imaging. With Gleamer, radiologists can theoretically improve the diagnostic accuracy when interpreting medical images. The startup has already persuaded 2,000 institutions across 45 countries to use its software solution, processing 35 million examinations. Gleamer has received CE and FDA certifications for its bone trauma interpretation product, as well as products specifically focused on chest X-rays, orthopedic, and bone age measurements with CE certification.
The Challenge of Radiology
Gleamer’s co-founder and CEO, Christian Allouche, states, "Unfortunately, the one-size-fits-all approach to radiology doesn’t work. It’s very complicated to have a large model that covers all medical imaging and delivers the level of performance expected by doctors."
Current and Future Initiatives
Gleamer has created small internal teams focused on mammographies and CT scans. The company is also working on CT scans for cancers and has a partnership with Jean Zay, the French government’s GPU cluster. Three weeks ago, they released their mammography product, based on a proprietary AI model trained on 1.5 million mammographies.
Preventive Medical Imaging
Gleamer’s models show promising results, but they are not yet perfect. For example, with the company’s new mammography model, the startup claims it can detect four out of five cancers. However, the productivity gains from a tool like Gleamer could radically change medical imaging. A missed tumor is likely to appear in a follow-up exam a few months later.
Conclusion
Gleamer’s AI-powered solution has the potential to revolutionize medical imaging, enabling preventive imaging and improving diagnostic accuracy. With the acquisition of Caerus Medical and Pixyl, Gleamer is poised to make significant strides in the MRI space, covering all use cases in the next two to three years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the potential of Gleamer’s AI-powered solution in medical imaging?
A: Gleamer’s AI-powered solution has the potential to revolutionize medical imaging, enabling preventive imaging and improving diagnostic accuracy.
Q: What are the challenges in radiology?
A: The one-size-fits-all approach to radiology doesn’t work, and it’s complicated to have a large model that covers all medical imaging and delivers the level of performance expected by doctors.
Q: What are Gleamer’s current and future initiatives?
A: Gleamer is working on AI-powered tools for X-rays, mammographies, and CT scans, and is acquiring a small startup (Caerus Medical) and merging with a larger one (Pixyl) to move faster in the market.
Q: What is the potential future of medical imaging?
A: In the not-too-distant future, we may see routine whole-body MRIs paid for by insurance companies, as they are not irradiating. AI tools will become indispensable in the industry shift toward preventive imaging.
