Google and Zebra Medical Partner to Deliver AI-based Medical Imaging Analysis to Doctors

Israel-based medical Imaging analytics company Zebra Medical Vision Ltd. is partnering with Google's cloud platform to make its services available to health providers worldwide, the company announced Wednesday.

Founded in 2014 by Chairman Eyal Gura, CEO Elad Benjamin and chief technical officer Eyal Toledano, Zebra Medical intends to change to the field of radiology.

The company powers automated analysis of radiological scans including X-rays, CT scans and MRI scans through artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. Zebra Medical’s service would be available through the cloud in real-time and cost hospitals one dollar per scan analyzed, the company said.

The demand for imaging services like MRI, X-ray and ultrasound is steadily on the rise, putting increased pressure on health specialists. A 2015 report by the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute, a research institute established by the American College of Radiology, found that on average there are 11.42 radiologists per 100,000 people in the U.S.

A 2014 report by NHS England, a division under the U.K. Department of Health, found that between 2004 and 2014 the overall number of imaging tests increased by 40%, an average growth of 3.4% per year. In the year prior to the report, this amounted to 42.9 million tests just in the U.K.

By partnering with hospitals Zebra Medical aggregated millions of scans making them accessible to researchers worldwide. The company’s software is currently installed in over 50 hospitals. By partnering with Google’s cloud the company is now making its services, including automated analysis, available online.

“We are making a commitment to provide our current tools, and all future ones, for a flat $1 USD per scan," said Mr. Benjamin in the announcement. "By doing so we believe that a true difference can be made in the provision of radiology services worldwide.”

The company's software is currently capable of the automatic detection of liver, lung, cardiovascular, and bone disease, with breast cancer, lung cancer, brain trauma, hypertension, and other clinical areas currently under development.