GE HealthCare Acquires Intelligent Ultrasound's AI Software Business for $51 Million to Bolster Medical Imaging Capabilities

Recently, GE HealthCare announced an investment of$51 million(approximately 370 million RMB), acquired from Intelligent Ultrasound Group plcClinical Artificial Intelligence (AI) Software Business。

Intelligent Ultrasound is a company focused on developing clinical AI software, with its core product being AI image analysis technology.ScanNav Assist. The inventors of this technology are Professor Alison Noble and Professor Aris Papageorghiou from the University of Oxford, who are still collaborating with Intelligent Ultrasound to develop new AI imaging products, ensuring that the developed products meet real clinical needs.

Currently, the ScanNav Assist AI technology has been integrated into GE Healthcare's SonoLyst software and is being applied.Voluson ExpertAndVoluson SignatureUltrasound equipment. According to reports,SonoLyst is the world's first fully integrated AI tool capable of identifying 20 fetal ultrasound image views recommended by the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.. This product not only improves the efficiency of ultrasound but also enhances the objectivity of ultrasound equipment, avoiding varying results caused by different operators.

By acquiring this business, GE Healthcare has also added an AI innovation pipeline, which will help advance future development and achieve long-term efficiency.

GE Healthcare's increased focus on AI imaging is not coincidental, as major device manufacturers have long been paying attention to AI imaging.

In 2021,WCG Clinical Announces Acquisition of AI Radiology Imaging Support Services from Intrinsic Imaging for 520 Million RMB, to enhance its "proprietary technology solutions." Intrinsic Imaging, once hailed as "a leader in AI testing for clinical trials," is a world-leading expert in conducting complex multi-reader multi-case trials using artificial intelligence, deep learning, and computer-aided detection software to evaluate the clinical performance of medical devices.This acquisition also created the largest biotechnology service transaction amount in the history of San Antonio.

In the same year, the largest M&A deal in the history of China's medical imaging AI sector also occurred in China. One of the leading companies in the AI medical imaging field.DeepRui Medical, announced the acquisition of Yitu Technology's wholly-owned subsidiary, one of the "AI Four Dragons."Yitu Healthcare. This acquisition strengthens Deepwise Healthcare's product layout in multiple dimensions such as intelligent imaging, smart diagnostic assistance, and databases, and accelerates the platform-based upgrade of Deepwise Healthcare.

The emergence of large-scale M&A news not only highlights the high competitiveness and commercialization challenges in the AI imaging field but also attracts more participants to this area.

In 2021, Ni Jiong and Wang Peijun published an article titled "The Current Status and Future of Medical Imaging Artificial Intelligence" in the Chinese Journal of Medicine. The article mentioned three trends in the development of AI in medicine.: Diversification, Integration of Software and Hardware, Full Process. These three major trends have gradually been verified in recent years.

The enrichment of categories contains two layers of meaning: one is the enrichment of indications, and the other is the enrichment of functions.Nowadays, the indications for AI in medicine have expanded from the lungs, cardiovascular system, breasts, and nerves to various parts of the entire body. Meanwhile, the functions of AI medical imaging products have evolved from image detection, segmentation, quantification, and disease diagnosis to further include treatment evaluation and therapeutic decision-making.

In the field of AI medical imaging indications, pulmonary nodules have always been an unexplored direction. However, in 2023, InferRead Lung Nodule AI Target Reconstruction officially received NMPA approval, becoming the world’s first and only AI target reconstruction product for pulmonary nodules to obtain a Class III NMPA certificate. This product is based on chest CT images, using AI-powered 3D reconstruction to accurately display the anatomical structures of the entire lung and the nodule target area of patients. It can more clearly show the size, shape, lobe and segment location of pulmonary nodules, as well as their relationship with bronchi, veins, and arteries. This technology enables more accurate and efficient assistance for doctors in providing diagnostic results.

From the perspective of product functionality, AI medical imaging is no longer limited to imaging but offers more auxiliary functions. The automatic delineation system for clinical target areas in nasopharyngeal cancer radiotherapy developed by Pathology Medical uses AI technology to simultaneously and automatically delineate GTV (Gross Tumor Volume) and CTV (Clinical Target Volume). This reduces the target area delineation time for a single nasopharyngeal cancer patient from 2-4 hours to within 1 minute, with results approaching the level of nasopharyngeal cancer radiotherapy experts.

Integration of Hardware and SoftwareThis is even more evident. AI medical imaging products from companies such as Mindray Medical, Philips Healthcare, and Shukun Technology can provide integrated services ranging from equipment to information management, improving work efficiency, service quality, and management standards.

And the deployment of a large number of AI medical imaging products has gradually expanded the boundaries of medical services. The concepts of smart departments and smart hospitals have been progressively ingrained in people's minds.The full-process implementation of AI medical imaging is also gradually being put into practice.。

In the industry sector, the development of AI medical imaging in China is particularly rapid.

According to the 2024 AI Medicine Blue Paper by Frost & Sullivan, as of June 2024,China has approved 92 AI medical imaging assisted diagnosis software for NMPA Class III medical device certificationAmong them, the few domestic companies with the largest number of approved Class III medical devices are respectivelyDeepwise Healthcare, Shukun Technology, Infervision Medical。

DeepRui Medical and Shukun Technology each have 13 products approved, covering areas such as lungs, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and orthopedics.

It is worth noting that,In 2023, DeepRui Medical's MammoAI Auxiliary Diagnosis System received the first and only NMPA Class III certificate for a breast AI product in China, awarded by the National Medical Products Administration.It is reported that this product can automatically analyze breast MR images, intelligently identify and locate lesions, and provide benign-malignant classification and quantitative analysis. At the same time, it can automatically output structured information such as lesion location, volume, morphological signs, BI-RADS classification, etc., and fully automatically generate TIC curves, providing 3D-MIP reconstruction, thereby building a one-stop intelligent diagnosis model for breast MR.

Shukun Technology is focusing on liver imaging.In 2024, the liver focal lesion MR image-assisted evaluation software developed by Shukun Technology was officially approved for NMPA Class III medical device registration.In 2023, Shukun Technology obtained the first Class III AI certificate for liver MRI, and currently, both of the two Class III certificates issued by NMPA in the liver MRI field in China have been awarded to Shukun Technology.

InferVISION has received approval for eight products in the fields of pulmonary, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and orthopedics. Its products cover the entire patient care process, including disease screening and diagnosis (InferRead series), disease intervention and treatment (InferOperate series), patient health management (InferCare series), and an integrated platform for medical research and education (InferScholar, InferMatrix, and InferEducate). In 2024, InferVISION's products have been certified by China's NMPA, U.S. FDA, EU CE, UK UKCA, and Japan's PMDA.Five Major Market Accesses, covering more than 1,000 medical institutions across 25 countries and regions worldwide.