The number of radiologists is going through the floor while the need for image analysis is going through the roof. Currently, 40% of admissions to the emergency room lead to an X-ray. According to a study for the French Radiology Society, only 18% of them are interpreted in real time by a radiologist, meaning that professional readings need to be re-scheduled later.
To meet this need, a number of French start-ups have been deploying treasures of ingenuity using artificial intelligence. That is the case with the start-up AZmed, which has developed its “Rayvolve” software for detecting and locating bone fractures. Having received CE certification a year ago, it is currently in use in over 50 medical imaging centers in France.
Another example, the startup Milvue, founded in 2018, has developed artificial intelligence that uses deep learning to interpret X-ray images automatically, taking some of the pressure off of emergency rooms by supplying health-care providers with immediate, reliable, localized data.
Gleamer, another promising player in the sector, has announced a €7.5 million seed round to help bring out BoneView, the first software from the firm’s artificial-intelligence platform, which semi-automates diagnosis in standard radiology. It hopes to get FDA approval for the U.S. market by 2021. Also worth mentioning: Intrasense, specialized in software solutions for medical imaging, which designed Myrian, a clinical application that integrates artificial intelligence.
The trend is a collective one, too. GE Healthcare, General Electric’s healthcare branch, just announced the creation of a French consortium bringing together start-ups, research centers, and clinical sites in order to spur the creation of projects that apply artificial intelligence to medical imaging. The collective is composed of the med-tech firm TheraPanacea, which specializes in radiotherapy; the start-up Pixyl, experts in diagnostic aid in neurology; the health-related software publisher Evolucare; the Curie Institute; the Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP); the Gustave Roussy Center and the Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation.