The deep learning imaging analytics startup Zebra Medical Vision said that it has received Israel government support through generous grants from the Israel Innovation Authority. The grant will be used by the company to strengthen its AI algorithms to use in critical emergency situations at Ichilov Hospital, and will work to detect early signs of breast cancer and osteoporosis at Macabi and Clalit HMOs. These three health providers manage over 90% of Israeli patients.
The emergency room is a bottleneck for deciphering and diagnosing medical cases, and therefore requires rapid and efficient interpretation using artificial intelligence. Zebra-Med’s technology can help radiologists prioritize by scanning their entire queue and flagging those that need immediate attention, such as acute brain bleeds in head CT scans or Pneumothorax in chest X-rays. Additionally, Zebra Medical Vision will provide its AI predictive imaging analysis in collaboration with Israel’s largest HMOs to risk stratify large populations and enable early detection of breast cancer and osteoporosis.
“As a global leading ER center, we put significant emphasis on being on the cutting edge in terms of technology solutions that will empower our team,” added Prof. Ronni Gamzu, CEO of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. “We selected Zebra-Med’s AI solutions to help our team perform faster and better diagnostics and we are certain that hundreds of thousands of patients will benefit from this new technology.”
“The combination of man and machine brings us to new heights in the treatment of cancer,” said Professor Varda Shalev, CEO of The Moris Kahn & Maccabi Institute for Research & Innovation, “The integration of Zebra allows early, accurate detection of breast cancer, which is key to successful treatment.”
“Our team is humbled by the credit that was given us by the Innovation authority and is committed to providing the best solutions to our local care providers,” noted Eyal Gura, Zebra Medical Vision’s Co-Founder and CEO. “In 2020, the majority of the people around us, including our loved ones, will be impacted by the tools we are creating. There is nothing more satisfying than that for our team.”
“The cooperation between Clalit and Zebra Medical Vision enables Clalit to conduct comprehensive research on large populations that have undergone imaging tests, while continuing to lead the implementation of technological innovation to advance the health of its members. Clalit is working to bring its members the most advanced technology, to both improve and maintain their health,” said Prof. Ran Balicer, Director of the Clalit Research Institute.
CEO, Israel Innovation Authority, Aharon Aharon: “The Innovation Authority believes digital health to be of imperative and strategic growth engine for the entire Israeli economy, hence promoted the Pilot Program with Government Companies. Zebra Medical Vision, selected as one of the winners in this program, represents the flagship that will helps substantiate and promote digital health in Israel.”
Zebra-Med’s data and research platform has already yielded AI imaging insights that have been deployed over millions of scans. Last year, Zebra received 7 CE marks and for its various algorithms and 510(k) FDA clearance for its Coronary Calcium Scoring algorithm allowing the company to expand its footprint in the US and EU. In addition to the Israel Innovation Authority grants, Zebra has also raised over $50 million from a range of investors over three funding rounds.
