Precision MedCare will take its machine learning-powered liver fibrosis diagnosis platform to China for early-stage testing with a view to securing regulatory approval.
Georgia State University has formally announced a licence agreement with its US-based spinout Precision MedCare to commercialise a non-invasive system for detecting liver fibrosis based on its technology.
Liver fibrosis, the medical term for scarring of the liver, develops as a manifestation of chronic liver ailments such as fatty liver disease, alcohol-related liver damage and hepatitis. It can progress to the point where the organ’s normal function is irreversibly impaired.
Precision MedCare’s concept relies on a machine-learning algorithm to interpret information from Doppler ultrasound scans of the kind already often used by clinicians.
Specifically, the algorithm will look for changes in blood flow dynamics related to the liver’s rigidity that help clinicians determine the organ’s overall condition.
Precision MedCare’s tool will also feature a grading system for positive diagnoses, ranging from stage 1 for minimal scarring to stage 4 for severe, later-stage fibrosis.
The spinout was founded by Yi Jiang, a professor of mathematics and statistics in Georgia State University’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Precision MedCare’s technology will initially be evaluated in China, where it will undergo testing in hospitals and a full clinical trial.
The spinout plans to attain regulatory approval for its product from China’s healthcare regulator, the China Food and Drug Administration, and believes the data for its application there will support efforts to secure sanctioning in the US.
