Advertisement 1

London doctor aims to bring AI technology to diagnosing lung woes

Take a breath London, artificial intelligence developed here may change the way lungs are looked at in hospitals and health-care settings around the world.

Article content

Take a breath London, artificial intelligence developed here may change the way lung conditions are diagnosed in hospitals and health-care settings around the world.

London doctor Rob Arntfield is the founder of Deep Breathe, a medical technology business that brings AI technology to ultrasound, making it a better diagnostic tool.

Article content

The company has just landed its first round of “seven-figure” private sector funding to take its health-care innovation to the next level.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

“We are excited. It is nice to have someone’s hand on our shoulder. It is a meaningful moment for us,” said Arntfield, who is also an intensive-care physician and medical director at the critical-care trauma centre at London Health Sciences Centre.

“I love to innovate in medicine and this is fortunate timing; what seemed futuristic a few years ago is reality in 2023.”

Since founding the business about two years ago, Arntfield has funded much of Deep Breathe himself. He now has more cash from London investment firm MAP Equity Investco.

The investment will help the company clear regulatory hurdles to get approval from Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and invest in staffing for its “next step,” Arntfield said.

Once it has approval from regulatory bodies, Deep Breathe would move to market its business more aggressively. That may include convincing manufacturers such as General Electric, Phillips or Siemens to add Deep Breathe AI technology when manufacturing ultrasound hardware.

“We see the future. We see the value,” Arntfield said.

Deep Breathe offers lung ultrasound technology that can be used by health-care providers bedside to diagnose various lung issues. By adding artificial intelligence, algorithms can better analyze and interpret ultrasound images, he said.

Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

“There is an unmet need in the medical community for a more efficient and effective way to diagnose lung conditions, where the state-of-the-art for decades has been the use of costly and radiation-exposing chest X-rays,” said Jasson Cohen, managing partner at MAP, on Fullarton Street.

“Deep Breathe’s technology has the potential to transform the way health care providers diagnose and manage lung conditions, and we’re excited to be a part of that.”

Ultrasound is now so accessible it can be used bedside and even off a tablet or a smart phone, meaning it has wide application and there may be a global market for Deep Breathe, Arntfield said.

“Its portability cannot be overstated. Hospitals, the military, Doctors Without Borders, other field work,” are all possible markets, he said.

Arntfield said he hasn’t ruled out the possibility Deep Breathe may develop its own ultrasound hardware one day.

“That idea really appeals to me,” 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 the workload and AI is a better way to do it,” Arntfield said.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

“Ultrasound technology has become miniaturized. You can use it with your cellphone. It is not invasive, there is no radiation, it is low cost.”

The technological advances also mean more staff will have to be trained in ultrasound technology; not all doctors or health-care providers are, Arntfield said.

“Seventy years ago, blood pressure machines were used only by cardiologists and now there are devices you can use at home. It can democratize access to these resources,” he said.

Artificial intelligence in ultrasound technology means the computer is able to recognize mathematical patterns on the screen and diagnose from that.

“We see images, its sees numbers. It can determine things a human eye can miss,” Arntfield said.

Lung X-rays are the most widely ordered testing in hospitals and ultrasound can do the job better, he said.

“It is the most commonly imaged organ in the body for respiratory complaints and lung ultrasounds are much better compared to X-rays. There is a better way.”

Deep Breathe has the world’s largest archive of lung ultrasound images, including millions of images spanning more than a decade of clinical research, Arntfield said.

ndebono@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/NormatLFPress

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    This Week in Flyers