Pathology, it seems, is no longer sexy. The number of medical students entering the field, which is critical for diagnosing disease from tissue biopsies, has been steadily decreasing.
Yet, at the same time, the number of biopsies requiring analysis by a trained pathologist is going up. This has led to longer waiting times and, in some cases, inaccurate or even missed diagnoses.
Israeli startup Ibex Medical Analytics aims to return the balance by adding artificial intelligence to the mix, speeding up the time-intensive process for human pathologists.
Ibex’s “Second Read” application uses software algorithms to analyze cases in parallel with a pathologist. Second Read then compares the pathologist’s diagnosis and the algorithm’s findings. If there’s a discrepancy, the pathologist receives an immediate alert.
Second Read for detecting prostate and breast cancer is already in use at Israel’s Maccabi Healthcare Service, which began deploying the technology in 2019 at the HMO’s pathology institute, the largest such lab in Israel.
In February 2020, Ibex received CE-IVD (for “in vitro diagnostic”) certification for its prostate cancer solution that helps pathologists minimize diagnostic errors in the lab.-- More...
ISRAEL21c was founded in 2001, in the wake of the Second Intifada, to broaden public understanding of Israel beyond typical portrayals in the mainstream media.
The organization’s founders – Israeli-American technology executives – understood the great power of the Internet and developed a first-of-its kind online product with global appeal and reach.
