WebZine
2018. 1
What's New
New "Ultrasound on a Chip" Tool Could Revolutionize Medical Imaging
by Eliza Strickland
Jonathan Rothberg, a entrepreneur who prides himself on drastically disrupting the biomedical industry every so often, has typically big claims for his new product. The Butterfly iQ, a cheap handheld ultrasound tool with AI smarts tucked inside, will 1) revolutionize medical imaging in hospitals and clinics, 2) change the game in global health, and 3) eventually become a consumer product that will be as ubiquitous as the household thermometer, he says.
Today, Rothberg’s startup Butterfly Network unveiled the tool and announced its FDA clearance for 13 clinical applications, including cardiac scans, fetal and obstetric exams, and musculoskeletal checks. Rather than using a dedicated piece of hardware for the controls and image display, the iQ works with the user’s iPhone. The company says it will start shipping units in 2018 at an initial price of about $2,000.
But that’s just the beginning, Rothberg tells IEEE Spectrum. He expects to bring the price down on the handheld gadget, and is already looking ahead to radically new products. “In the next two years we’ll release a patch that uses ultrasound to monitor patients, and a pill you can swallow to look at cancer from within the body,” he says.
All these form factors are possible because Butterfly uses a very different technology than conventional ultrasound. Its “ultrasound on a chip” takes advantage of the mass-market fabrication techniques perfected for computer chips, Rothberg says. “We put all the elements onto a semiconductor wafer, then we can dice up the wafer to make 48 ultra low-cost ultrasound machines,” he says.
Today’s ultrasound systems use piezoelectric crystals, which convert electrical energy into vibrations in the form of ultrasonic waves. A typical system has a display screen on a bulky cart with several wands for imaging at different depths within the body. These machines can cost upwards of $100,000. While a few smaller and cheaper devices exist, such as GE’s handheld Vscan products, they still use pricey piezoelectric technology and require multiple probes, bringing the price to something between $8,000 and $20,000.
Eye Scans to Detect Cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease
By Megan Scudellari
It is said that eyes are the window to the soul. Well, what about the window to our health?
We recently reported on two AI systems trained to detect eye diseases, specifically diabetic retinopathy and congenital cataracts. Now, we’ve found groups extending that concept to illnesses beyond the eye. Two new projects pair imaging systems with advanced software in an effort to catch early symptoms of pancreatic cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
At the University of Washington, a team led by computer scientist Shwetak Patel created a smartphone app to screen for pancreatic cancer with a quick selfie. Developed over the last year and a half, the team recently tested their system in a clinical study of 70 people. They were able to identify cases of concern with 89.7 percent sensitivity and 96.8 percent accuracy.
While the app is not yet ready to be used as a diagnostic tool based only a single small trial, it might soon provide a tool for doctors monitor disease progression in patients undergoing treatment with a simple photograph, rather than a blood test, says first author Alex Mariakakis, a UW graduate student.
The app, called BiliScreen, monitors levels of bilirubin, a metabolic byproduct that builds up in cases of jaundice, causing a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. Increased bilirubin in the blood is one of the earliest symptoms of pancreatic cancer, but it is currently detected by a blood test in a doctor’s office and done only for patients at high-risk or with other symptoms.
