Larry Ellison-backed Israeli startup Imagene and Oracle unveil AI model for cancer detection
The startup has launched the CanvOI model, powered by Oracle Cloud, to advance cancer treatment.
Two years after Larry Ellison invested in Imagene AI, the Israeli startup, in partnership with Oracle, is launching an artificial intelligence model for the rapid diagnosis of cancer based solely on biopsy images. This model is described as a "ChatGPT for oncology," capable of identifying complex features and patterns within biopsies.
The model operates on Oracle's cloud infrastructure, and its launch was announced at Oracle’s annual conference in Las Vegas, held following the release of the company's financial reports. Ellison, the founder of Oracle and its chairman and chief technology officer, led a $21.5 million investment round in Imagene two years ago. Ellison, known for his philanthropic efforts and entrepreneurial work in cancer research, was joined in this investment by Dr. David Agus, a leading oncologist and entrepreneur in cancer treatment and research, and Eyal Gura, an AI medical imaging pioneer and investor. Blumberg Capital, which led the Seed round, along with other private investors, also participated.
Imagene was founded in 2020 by entrepreneurs Dean Bitan, Jonathan Zalach, and Shahar Porat, who brought together experts from various disciplines including biology, medicine, artificial intelligence, and software. The company collaborates with leading pharmaceutical companies and medical centers worldwide.
The model, known as CanvOI (short for "oncological intelligence"), provides medical researchers with critical data from biopsy images, aiding in the development of advanced oncology applications. These include predicting treatment responses, identifying cancer mutations, assessing patient prognosis, and detecting pathological characteristics, all with cutting-edge accuracy that surpasses other leading models in digital pathology.
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CanvOI is a sophisticated AI model comprising 1.1 billion parameters, trained on a diverse dataset of over 630,000 biopsy images from more than 100 global sites, covering over 40 major organs and tissue types. By applying a novel approach to AI in digital pathology, CanvOI achieved industry-leading performance in a variety of cancer-related tasks. Its ability to function efficiently, even with limited data, is particularly valuable in the biomedical field, where data availability is often a challenge.
During the event in Las Vegas, Ellison spoke about the Israeli startup: "To transform cancer research, Imagene did what countless other leading AI startups have done – it turned to Oracle's Gen2 AI infrastructure, which delivers the scale and performance required to power the world's largest AI models and help solve humanity's most difficult challenges," said Larry Ellison, Oracle Chairman and CTO. "With CanvOI running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Oracle and Imagene are providing scientists with new weapons in the fight against mankind's deadliest adversary, cancer."
Eran Feigenbaum, SVP and Country Leader of Oracle Israel, added: "As an Israeli, I am incredibly proud to see Oracle enter into such a strategic and impactful collaboration with an Israeli startup. The decision to launch Imagene’s innovative platform at our conference is a true vote of confidence—in both Israeli innovation and Israel itself. Oracle will continue, especially now, to strengthen the AI industry in Israel and provide advanced cloud and AI capabilities to propel it forward."
