Radiology AI firm specializing in automating MRI workflows raises $19M

A Danish radiology AI firm specializing in automating MRI workflows has raised over $19 million (USD) in new funding. 

Copenhagen-based Cerebriu said the Danish VC firm North Ventures led the Series A funding round with support from EIFO (Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund) and Sagitta Ventures. 

Founded in 2018, Cerebriu’s products include “Smart Alert” for detection of critical findings during an MRI and “Smart Protocol.” The latter analyzes an abbreviated set of images and suggests the most appropriate next sequences while the patient is in the scanner. 

Cerebriu will use the money to broaden its portfolio and accelerate commercial development. Providers have already implemented the solution in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, while Cerebriu also is working with Siemens Healthineers and “leading” U.S. hospitals for clinical validation. 

“We are thrilled to announce closing our Series A round, which will enable us to further deploy our software suite Apollo to address the growing gap between the need for MRI exams and the foreseen shortage of radiologists and radiographers,” Cerebriu CEO Robert Lauritzen said in a Sept. 12 announcement.

Apollo—a CE-marked, real-time triage solution—previously demonstrated improvements in brain MRI workflow efficiency. Cerebriu said the product works as a “clinical companion” for technologists, “optimizing scan times and reducing unnecessary patient recalls.”

“As the global demand for MRI exams continues to rise, radiology departments are struggling to maintain the current volume of imaging exams daily while experiencing staffing shortages all over the world,” Mikkel Rørvig, a partner with North Ventures, said in the same announcement. “The need for innovative workflow solutions supported by AI and automation to ease the burden on the radiology department staff is crucial.”

Marty Stempniak

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. 

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