Denmark's Brainreader announced the launch of software to detect changes in the volume of 45 substructures of the brain from an MRI scan to diagnosis neurological conditions like Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and depression.
Neuroreader compares its findings of patient's brain volumes to those in an FDA-cleared database within a few minutes, the company says.
The analysis can be carried out by radiologists manually over a period of hours. Brainreader aims to automate the process, making it faster and thus accessible to more patients. The service is available to hospitals on a pay-per-use or subscription basis.
"Brain scans are typically analyzed visually by radiologists in what can be a time-consuming process, especially when changes in brain volume are slight," said Brainreader founder and chief technology officer Jamila Ahdidan, in a statement. "When looking for changes as small as hundredths of a millimeter, a software-driven analysis allows for these tiny changes to be detected in minutes."
The most importance structure of the brain for diagnosis using the volume-based methodology is the hippocampus.
"Recent publications have offered some of the first evidence for functional, sustained improvement in neurodegenerative conditions, and the ability to quantitate multiple brain region volumes reproducibly and longitudinally will be critical as therapeutic programs are being refined. Neuroreader is perfectly suited for this," said Dr. Dale Bredesen, professor of neurology at UCLA, in a statement.
The company appears very similar to Fierce 15 member CorTechs Labs. The company boasts partnerships with a plethora of imaging industry bigwigs. Last year it signed a joint-marketing agreement with GE Healthcare ($GE) on an MRI scanning solution used in conjunction with CorTechs's NeuroQuant. CEO Guri Stark said the collaboration allows GE scanners to install the software with the push of a button.
Stark predicted competitors were on the horizon, specifically from Europe. But he welcomes the new entrant, saying at the time, "I use Elon Musk's philosophy. When somebody asked him why he shares his intellectual property, he said 'If I'm the only company trying to increase awareness of electric cars, it'll be a very small market.'"
- read the release
Special Report: FierceMedicalDevices' 2014 Fierce 15 - CorTechs Labs