Breathe through London, artificial intelligence developed here could change the way lung diseases are diagnosed in hospitals and healthcare facilities around the world.
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London doctor Rob Arntfield is the founder of Deep Breathe, a medical technology company bringing AI technology to ultrasound, making it a better diagnostic tool.
The company just landed its first “seven figure” round of funding to take its healthcare innovation to the next level.
“We’re thrilled. It’s nice to have someone’s hand on our shoulder. It’s a meaningful moment for us,” said Arntfield, who is also a critical care physician and medical director of the London Health Sciences Centre’s Intensive Trauma Centre.
“I love innovating in medicine and this is a happy time; What seemed futuristic a few years ago will be reality in 2023.”
Since founding the company about two years ago, Arntfield has funded much of Deep Breathe himself. He now has more money from London investment firm MAP Equity Investco.
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The investment will help the company clear regulatory hurdles to gain Health Canada and U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals and invest in staff for its “next step,” Arntfield said.
Once it receives regulatory approval, Deep Breathe would move toward marketing its business more aggressively. This may include convincing manufacturers like General Electric, Phillips or Siemens to add Deep Breathe AI technology in the manufacture of ultrasound hardware.
“We look to the future. We see the value,” said Arntfield.
Deep Breathe offers lung ultrasound technology that can be used by healthcare providers at the bedside to diagnose various lung problems. By adding artificial intelligence, algorithms can better analyze and interpret ultrasound images, he said.
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“There is an unmet need in the medical community for a more efficient and effective method of diagnosing lung disease where the state of the art for decades has been the use of costly and radiation-exposure chest X-rays,” said Jasson Cohen, Managing Partner at MAP, in of Fullarton Street.
“Deep Breathe’s technology has the potential to transform the way healthcare providers diagnose and treat lung disease, and we’re excited to be a part of it.”
Ultrasound is now so accessible that it can be used at the bedside and even from a tablet or smartphone, which means it has wide application and there may be a global market for deep breathe, Arntfield said.
“Its portability cannot be overstated. Hospitals, the military, MSF, other field work” are all possible markets, he said.
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Arntfield said he hasn’t ruled out the possibility that Deep Breathe might one day develop its own ultrasound hardware.
“I’m very excited about this idea,” he said.
Now, lung imaging is still dominated by costly, cumbersome X-ray technology, and Deep Breathe can streamline the process.
“This technology benefits the patient, improves workloads, and AI is a better way to do that,” said Arntfield.
“Ultrasonic technology has become miniaturized. You can use it with your mobile phone. It’s non-invasive, there’s no radiation, it’s inexpensive.”
Technological advances also mean that more personnel need to be trained in ultrasound technology; not all are doctors or healthcare providers, Arntfield said.
“70 years ago blood pressure monitors were only used by cardiologists and now there are devices that you can use at home. It can democratize access to those resources,” he said.
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Artificial intelligence in ultrasound technology means that the computer can recognize and diagnose mathematical patterns on the screen.
“We see pictures, it sees numbers. It can determine things that the human eye can miss,” Arntfield said.
X-rays of the lungs are the most commonly ordered tests in hospitals, and ultrasounds can do the job better, he said.
“It’s the most commonly imaged organ in the body for respiratory problems, and lung ultrasound is much better than X-rays. There is a better way.”
Deep Breathe has the world’s largest archive of lung ultrasound images, including millions of images from more than a decade of clinical research, Arntfield said.
