Whole-body MRI startup Ezra scores FDA clearance for AI tool to speed up scan times
A New York-based startup has earned FDA clearance for an artificial intelligence tool that speeds up magnetic resonance imaging scan times.
Ezra said its new “Flash” product enhances the quality of MRIs without obscuring existing pathologies. The company is using the newly cleared technology to offer the “world’s first 30-minute full-body MRI scan.”
Launched in 2019, Ezra has raised $22 million from investors and opened more than a dozen locations across New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Las Vegas. The startup offers half-hour “Full Body Flash” MRI scans for $1,350 (previously $1,950) or a 60-minute upgraded version for $2,350, aimed at spotting diseases before symptoms arise.
“Our mission at Ezra is to detect cancer early for everyone in the world, and I’m really excited about this new AI enabling us to make our scan more affordable,” Founder and CEO Emi Gal said in a June 1 announcement. “By boosting quality while reducing scan time, we’re decreasing our cost for a full body MRI by 30%, and we’re passing these cost savings to our customers.”
The AI was trained to assess which elements of scans are essential, using an MRI data set spanning “hundreds of thousands” of images from both patients and healthy subjects. A panel of radiologists analyzed the performance of the software to confirm its utility.
Ezra said its full-body MRI service monitors for possible cancer and more than 500 other conditions in up to 13 organs. The company also offers a low-dose CT scan for lung cancer screening and assessing heart disease risk. Emi Gal and colleagues said they hope to eventually offer a 15-minute body-MRI exam for $500 within the next three years.
The company also offers three-year memberships for $5,300 or five-year plans for $7,000. They include annual exams along with a 45-minute follow-up consultation. Ezra estimated that 13% of its members have found potential cancer through its services, while nearly three-fourths have discovered “noncancerous but clinically significant disease states.”
California-based Prenuvo also offers a similar service, including AI-enhanced, full-body MRIs for $2,499. Provider groups such as the American College of Radiology have questioned the practice, concerned the exams could trigger additional unnecessary healthcare services.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.