Israeli startup AISAP has secured $13 million in seed funding for its AI-powered software platform, Point-of-Care Assisted Diagnosis (POCAD), which aims to revolutionize medical imaging. The platform connects to common ultrasound wands and sensors to provide rapid assessment of patients’ conditions for physicians, even those without formal training in analyzing ultrasound imagery. The company was founded by a diverse group of experts across medical, technology, and intelligence sectors, including individuals from the IDF’s elite 8200 Unit and leading medical centers in Israel. Initially focusing on cardiac medicine, AISAP plans to expand into other medical areas.
Addressing the Scarcity of Imaging Resources:
AISAP’s CEO, Roni Attali, highlights the scarcity of imaging resources as a major problem in the medical field. Currently, there are not enough radiologists available to interpret images and limited labs to process them. This scarcity leads to delays in obtaining results, sometimes taking hours or even days. By providing rapid assessments in as little as five minutes, POCAD addresses this issue and offers a solution that can potentially save lives.
The POCAD System:
POCAD is designed to be user-friendly and can be deployed in hospitals or out in the field. It is connected to existing ultrasound wands and sensors, eliminating the need for additional equipment. The software, which is encrypted and compliant with HIPAA laws, resides in the cloud. It features an “urgency score” to prioritize patient care based on condition severity and a quality score for scans, ensuring reliable diagnostics even with less experienced operators. The machine learning behind POCAD was trained on millions of echocardiogram video clips from Sheba Medical Center. This allows the system to distill the knowledge of top cardiologists and aid non-cardiologists in making accurate diagnoses.
Compelling Results:
A recent study at Sheba Medical Center tested POCAD in emergency and internal medicine departments. The results were compelling, with 29% of patients who had not received comprehensive ultrasounds found to have at least one moderate, previously undetected medical condition. Tamir Pardo, former head of Mossad and current leader of AISAP’s Strategic Board, highlights the transformative potential of this technology and its ability to save countless lives.
Future Plans:
With its fresh funding and cutting-edge AI solution, AISAP aims to redefine medical diagnosis standards. The company plans to launch POCAD in the U.S. pending FDA approval. By making rapid, accurate, and accessible ultrasound evaluations widely available, AISAP is poised to make a significant impact in the field of medical imaging.
