Helsinki-based MedTech startup AIATELLA has secured €2 million in funding to accelerate the development and scaling of its AI-powered cardiovascular imaging technology.
The round was led by Helsinki-based Nordic Science Investments, with Specialist VC, Harjavalta Ventures, Business Finland, and a syndicate of angel investors also joining the round.
“When I was in medical education in the UK, my mentor told me that you can save thousands of lives in the operating room, but if you want to save millions, that happens in society. I saw that the current imaging workflows take a lot of time and resources, with ever-increasing scan volumes and a global shortage of radiologists leading to large backlogs; Radiologists were, and are, burning out.
“Our technology helps medical professionals analyse imaging much more efficiently, and at an earlier stage, so patients can get help before it’s too late,” says Jack Parker, Co-Founder and CEO at AIATELLA.
Founded in 2022, AIATELLA is on a mission to revolutionise radiology by automating the manual processes involved in medical imaging. The company’s technology reportedly makes image analysis 100 times faster than today’s available technology, enhancing speed, accuracy, and consistency.
AIATELLA’s technology is currently in approval processes in several countries across the EU and North America, and its mobile preventative technology has detected “tens of cases” of potential cardiovascular narrowing that have since been followed up by medical professionals.
The funding will help the company conduct clinical trials and develop its ultrasound-based preventative screening, which reportedly detects and quantifies carotid artery narrowing in minutes.
“AIATELLA’s solutions have the potential to streamline our workflow by automating measurements in cardiovascular imaging, saving clinicians significant time per scan, and allowing us to focus our attention on interpretation. The scalability of this technology means we can provide standardised expert-level measurements regardless of the degree of expertise of the reporter.
“I am excited about the impact this could have for the NHS in terms of workflow optimisation and equitable patient care,” says Anna Beattie, Consultant Cardiothoracic Radiologist, Radiology Research and AI Lead at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
AIATELLA’s multi-modal Automated Image Measurement (AIM) technology uses images from prevalent technologies like MRI, CT, and ultrasound to analyse vascular imaging, not only detecting, but quantifying abnormalities and changes over time in at-risk patients.
With this technology, specialists no longer need to spend up to an hour manually measuring images and documenting changes. Automated analysis makes these tasks take minutes, allowing clinicians to focus more on patient care.
AIATELLA’s technology has firstly been applied to the aorta, the largest artery in the body, but the company’s vision is to expand their coverage to every blood vessel in the body.
“AIATELLA is tackling one of the most significant opportunities in medicine: using AI to transform radiology. The company is perfectly positioned to lead the shift from reactive to preventative cardiovascular care and to replace outdated, manual workflows with intelligent, automated diagnostics,” says Alexandra Gylfe, Partner at Nordic Science Investments.
In addition to AIM for medical professionals, the company is also developing an ultrasound-based portable screening technology, enabling mass screening of people before symptoms appear. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, but up to 80% of these deaths are preventable through early detection and treatment. However, AIATELLA says that patients often do not enter the healthcare system until it’s too late and they experience severe symptoms, such as a stroke or a heart attack.
With its portable screening technology, AIATELLA aims to make early cardiovascular disease detection a routine part of regular health checkups, whether for occupational health, insurance assessments, or integrated with other healthcare initiatives like mobile blood banks, vaccination drives, or disease prevention programmes.
“AIATELLA’s preventative screening services have a clear and powerful mission: to bring early detection of cardiovascular problems to millions of people in a cost-effective way. We are confident in the potential of accessible preventative technology, especially in today’s world of overburdened healthcare systems,” adds Kaspar Hanni, Partner at Specialist VC.
With screening at scale, the company also aims to gain essential insights into differences in how cardiovascular diseases present and progress between different ethnicities and sexes, as symptoms often present differently between people.
AIATELLA says acknowledging and working to close the gender and ethnicity health gap is a key priority for the company.