New subscription service replaces blood tests, biopsies with MRIs
A New York City-based medtech startup called Ezra is about to replace pain inducing blood tests and biopsies with MRIs as a par of its new prostate cancer screening subscription service, according to a recent report by TechCrunch.
“One of the biggest problems in cancer is that there’s no accurate, fast, painless, way to scan for cancer anywhere in the body” Ezra co-founder and CEO Emi Gal told TechCrunch. “We want to focus on building a data set that proves [MRIs] are more accurate, less painful and faster than that the standard of care.”
The company officially launched its service in New York City on Thursday, Nov. 15 by raising $4 million in seed funding. For $999 per year, the subscription service allots patients one MRI, access to medical staff and information and follow-up support if test results come back positive, according to the article.
The company has partnered with the MRI facility network RadNet to offer its services at RadNet locations in New York City, though it hopes to expand to other locations in the next year.
Ezra is trying to get FDA approval for his AI analysis software that detected malignancies in scans with 90 percent accuracy and could help radiologists analyze MRIs, according to the article. The company must also convince insurers that $1,000 MRIs are worth covering as they could be more accurate than current diagnostic methods, according to the article.
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A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.