University of Arizona researchers have launched a startup after finding a way to detect new lung disease using artificial intelligence.
Professors of medicine Ruslan Rafikov and Olga Rafikova developed a way to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify the specific “fingerprints” of diseases that come from metabolites — molecules produced through cellular metabolic reactions. The method allows for earlier diagnosis of lung disease than current practices.
The researchers were connected with entrepreneur Martin Fuchs through the university’s Arizona Forge office, and together they founded MetFora in Tucson with Fuchs as CEO. The team had help from Tech Launch Arizona, the office that helps bring UArizona research to market, which also helped to license the technology.
MetFora is one of 16 companies — and one of four medical technology companies — that will be presenting this week in Phoenix as part of Venture Madness, the pitch contest from nonprofit organization Invest Southwest. This is the 30th year since Venture Madness started, and this year’s contest will be held on March 2-3 at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar in downtown Phoenix.
Fuchs said in a statement that earlier diagnosis is the key to finding better tools to fight diseases. He said that his company has started with lung disease, but that the technology is not limited to that.
“Even though we’re focusing on lung disease, we’re excited that there’s so much opportunity to expand our impact,” Fuchs said. “The team’s preliminary studies have shown that the technology has the potential for application to a broad spectrum of diseases.”
NIH-funded research
The research behind the company came about through research funded by the National Institutes of Health. Rafikov said he and Rafikova were originally working to understand what metabolic changes happen in cells in pulmonary vascular diseases.
“We were investigating the different pathways involved, and we found that metabolic changes precede disease manifestation,” Rafikov said in a statement. “Each disease has a different metabolite fingerprint, and AI helps us find the differences. We do a robust statistical analysis to develop a cellular circulation metabolic profile, and that profile reflects what is going in the body.”
The team received funding through Tech Launch Arizona’s Asset Development Program, and it completed a TLA program that helps scientists and engineers maximize their research through customer discovery and business modeling. The company has moved on to a national program that continues to provide business insight.
“We’re excited to see the MetFora team taking this innovation forward,” Douglas Hockstad, assistant vice president of TLA, said in a statement. “Following through to ensure the products of their research move out of the lab and into the public sphere where they can improve lives is a testament to the UArizona spirit of impact."
