A Tel Aviv, Israel-based startup, Aidoc, is leveraging artificial intelligence and deep learning to aid radiologists.
Tom Valent, the company’s vice president of business development, summarized Aidoc in a recent phone interview. “Our objective is to optimize the radiology workflow,” he said.
The startup was founded by three individuals as part of what Valent described as the “classic Cinderella story for Israeli startups.” To create the company, the founders relied on their expertise from each of their tenures in the Israel Defense Forces. They decided to bring the military-grade technology they’d learned about into a new space.
The startup’s clients include institutions that have radiologists who interpret studies. That category encompasses everything from academic medical centers to rural hospitals to private radiology groups.
Through its technology, Aidoc runs algorithms on incoming scans as they arrive at the healthcare organization. Its strategy from there is twofold.
According to Valent, the average radiologist has tens of cases to review each day. The order in which they’re reviewed is usually driven by the time at which the scan was completed. But Aidoc can help flag specific cases earlier on, allowing for better prioritization. In other words, when Aidoc’s algorithms detect an abnormality in a scan, that scan can be bumped up so the radiologist can review it earlier.
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Once the case is flagged, the startup’s technology can show the radiologist the key slices in the findings. Essentially, the company pinpoints its discovery for the radiologist.
“We want to add value to cases where time is of the essence and where saving time potentially means saving lives,” Valent said.
Aidoc utilizes a software-as-a-service model. The customer purchases a license and pays a recurring fee each year. The fee is all-inclusive, meaning there aren’t any extra installation or service fees. A larger institution pays more than a smaller one, Valent noted.
The company has already closed two funding rounds. The first, which was in 2016, included $3 million. The second, which was announced earlier this year, included $7 million.
More recently, the startup announced it received CE (Conformité Européenne) marking for its head and neck imaging solution, meaning it can be commercialized in Europe.
In the United States, Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Medical Center assessed Aidoc’s solution earlier this year. The trial yielded positive results, according to the company. Although the device is currently limited to investigational use in America, Valent said Aidoc is hoping to gain FDA approval and become fully commercial in the U.S. next year.
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