AI in Medical Imaging Round-Up – March 2024

Publication Date: 29/03/2024

Written by

Ellie Baker

Cranfield, UK, 29th March 2024, Written by Ellie Baker –

Hello everyone! March has been a great month, bringing with it new partnerships, deals and studies providing both clinical and health-economic evidence. I had the pleasure of attending the BIR in March where it was great to hear about several real-world examples of image analysis AI being used in the NHS.

Below is my monthly round-up, which covers some of the latest news and developments impacting the medical imaging AI market that has caught my attention in the last month.

1. The final MASAI trial results were unveiled at ECR with the total study population reaching nearly 106,000 participants. While preliminary findings in August hinted at a promising 44% reduction in radiologists’ workload, they fell short of demonstrating a statistically significant decline in cancer detection rates (p=0.052). However, the final study results demonstrated conclusive findings: Transpara now showcases a statistically significant 28% increase in cancer detection rates, coupled with enhanced early detection capabilities. These results further support the role of AI as a second reader in breast screening, with sites across Denmark and Sweden already using this approach. Given the pressing challenge of healthcare workforce shortages, it is only a matter of time before other countries follow suit as healthcare systems can no longer afford to overlook this mounting evidence.

2. ScreenPoint Medical also hit headlines for the company’s recent partnership with John Hopkins to deploy Transpara AI technology for breast screening. This partnership bolsters ScreenPoint Medical’s presence in Northeast America, offering access to an additional 77,000 breast imaging exams annually. With escalating competition in the US breast imaging market as other vendors look to target this space, this deal solidifies the company’s position in the market.

3. ScreenPoint Medical is not the only vendor signing additional deals; annalise.ai announced a collaboration with Gleneagles Hong Kong Hospital marking the first time a private hospital in the region has adopted the technology, while Lunit Cancer Screening partnered with the Gleneagles Singapore subsidiary for its INSIGHT MMG solution. These partnerships highlight a growing demand for AI solutions in East and Southeast Asia, which is also demonstrated by countries such as Singapore deploying a national platform approach.

4. During ECR, DeepHealth and INCEPTO unveiled a strategic partnership, marking the expansion of DeepHealth’s OS solution into Europe. Incepto’s AI solutions will be seamlessly integrated into the DeepHealth OS, offering an extensive portfolio of AI capabilities. Although DeepHealth is not unfamiliar with the European markets, with installations of its Saige solutions across several sites in the UK, France and Hungary, the company does not have its backing of RadNet imaging centres here. It is therefore questioned whether the company will be able to replicate its success overseas and tackle the lack of standardisation in healthcare systems when deploying the DeepHealth OS solution.

5. In March, FDA granted breakthrough device designation for Cleerly’s CAD Staging System. Cleerly joins other companies in the cardiology space, such as Ultromics, in pursuing the breakthrough device pathway. However, the road to full marketing authorisation post-breakthrough status is challenging, with only 8% of devices ultimately achieving this clearance. Yet with the CAD Staging System currently being evaluated in the TRANSFORM trial, it is anticipated that the robust scientific evidence will bolster the approval process.

6. Exciting developments have surfaced in the liver market as the FDA has approved Rezdiffra (resmetirom) for treating adults with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). This will have significant implications on the growth of the liver AI market as AI solutions that detect, treat, and manage these conditions will become in high demand. Seizing the opportune moment, Quibim has announced the release of its QP-Liver solution, which already boasts CE and UKCA approvals. However, Quibim faces stiff competition in this arena, particularly from vendors like Perspectum Ltd. Notably, Perspectum’s LiverMultiscan solution also receives reimbursement in the US, further solidifying its position in the market.

7. Previously, the concept of two-for-one exams have been discussed when reporting on BAC on routine mammograms to assess a range of conditions, including coronary artery disease, strokes, hypertension and chronic kidney disease. Now, a team in South Korea has provided evidence for assessing CAC prevalence on lung cancer screening low-dose chest CTs in the national LDCT lung cancer screening programme in South Korea. However, determining the funding for the implementation of this AI poses significant questions, especially considering that the benefits may not be solely attributed to the radiology department and play a wider role in population health management.

8. Post Market Surveillance took centre stage at the recent BIR conference. Discussions revolved around collecting PMS data, including FDA recalls, serious incidents and MHRA field safety notices. It was emphasised that reporting not only successes but also failures is crucial for collective learning among AI companies. In a positive development, a consortium of healthcare leaders, with Microsoft serving as the technology enabling partner, announced the establishment of the Trustworthy & Responsible AI Network (TRAIN). This initiative aims to enhance the quality, safety and trustworthiness of AI in healthcare. TRAIN endeavours to foster safer AI practices by facilitating the sharing of best practices, providing tools for measuring AI-enabled outcomes and establishing a national registry to document real-world outcomes concerning the efficacy, safety and optimisation of AI algorithms.

9. One key obstacle hindering the advancement of the medical imaging AI market is the necessity for health-economic studies to demonstrate return on investment (ROI) of AI implementation in clinical settings. A recent study addressed this challenge by developing and evaluating an ROI calculator for Bayer’s Calantic platform. The study compared current radiology workflows without AI to scenarios where the platform was integrated into hospital diagnostic workflows for thoracic and neurology indications. ROI calculations were conducted over 1- and 5-year time horizons, focusing on pulmonology and neurology service lines. Results indicated that over the five-year period, estimated revenues from platform applications amounted to $3.6 million, with total costs, including the AI platform itself, at $1.8 million. This yielded a return of $4.51 for each dollar invested. However, the study noted limitations in the model calculator, such as the absence of accounting for false positives/negatives and future reimbursement changes. Nonetheless, it serves as a positive example of vendors in the field leveraging health-economic evidence, encouraging further research in this direction.

That’s all for now, but as always feel free to comment if I’ve missed anything. If you have any questions about these developments, or any of our reports and services, do feel free to drop me a message to set up a call.

About The Author

Ellie joined Signify Research in 2023 as part of the Medical Imaging team. She holds a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Bath and an MSc in Clinical Drug Development from University College London.

About the AI in Healthcare Team

Signify Research’s AI in Medical Imaging service provides expert market intelligence and detailed insights for several of the leading AI and Imaging IT vendors. Combining primary data collection and in-depth discussions with industry stakeholders, our thorough research approach yields credible quantitative and qualitative analysis, helping our customers make critical business decisions with confidence. Furthermore, our commitment to seeking a plurality of perspectives across the markets we cover guarantees that our insights remain independent and balanced.

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