GE Healthcare to add startup's CT lung density analysis to its new 'Health Cloud'

Lung Density Analysis showing significant areas of low CT density in both lungs--Courtesy of Imbio

Late last year, GE Healthcare ($GE) announced that it would be taking its imaging data and analysis to the cloud. It's now revealed one of the first software applications that will be available via the GE Health Cloud: an automated, biomarker-based quantitative lung imaging analysis from Minneapolis startup Imbio.

Imbio's Lung Density Analysis (LDA), which is a volumetric imaging solution for lung computed tomography (CT), will be released on the GE Health Cloud when it launches in mid-2016. It's already FDA cleared and CE marked for the quantification and visualization of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) components.

"This partnership with Imbio confirms our commitment to providing healthcare professionals with enhanced quantifiable clinical insights. By incorporating Imbio's personalized lung analysis into GE Healthcare's cloud­-enabled workflow solutions, we are enriching the data that we can provide through the GE Health Cloud," said Evren Eryurek, Software CTO for GE Healthcare, said in a statement.

Analytics, including those that incorporate deep learning and artificial intelligence capabilities, are becoming increasingly critical in courting imaging customers--as companies seek a way to offer more value-added insights that will give them an edge as imaging hardware becomes increasingly commoditized.

Imbio will offer GE Health Cloud customers automatic image uploading for processing with LDA; they will receive both augmented CT lung series with density overlays for image interpretation as well as patient-oriented summary reports. The idea is to more easily quantify and localize areas of low lung density and air trapping that can help physicians offer better patient care.

"At Imbio, we are working to break down the barriers to broader use of clinically valuable quantitative imaging," said Imbrio CEO Cynthia Maier. "Partnering with GE to bring Lung Density Analysis to the GE Health Cloud is directly aligned with our focus on fully-automated applications to improve productivity, while making richer, personalized patient analysis accessible to all physicians to aid their diagnosis and care planning."

- here is the announcement (PDF)