Cone Health is partnering with Raleigh-based medical technology company Gradient Health to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in diagnostics using medical imaging.
Founded in 2018, Gradient Health’s platform aims to accelerate AI development in diagnostics by offering large, pre-labeled datasets. The company’s website lists that it has collected more than 300 million patient studies and partnered with more than 1,000 hospitals to develop more than 100 pre-labeled datasets. According to Crunchbase, the company has raised $3 million to date.
AI and machine learning programs can be trained to identify diagnostics such as breast cancer from X-rays or stroke risk in CAT scans, explained David Heenan, managing director of Cone Health Ventures.
“What Gradient Health is doing is truly revolutionary and we believe will accelerate the next generation of advanced medical technology to the bedside so that Cone health can continue to provide excellent, cutting-edge care to our patients,” Heenan said.
Cone Health Ventures, which works with emerging startups to develop products and technologies in partnership with the Greensboro health system, and Gradient Health have signed a five-year collaboration agreement, Heenan said.
Heenan told TBJ that Gradient Health is Cone Health Venture’s 17th partnership.
Cone will provide access to large, deidentified data sets of medical images that Gradient Health will be able to leverage for research and development. Heenan explained that Cone has a large library of medical images, as the health system is required to store all images for 10 years.
“This will enable Gradient to provide researchers with the insights they need to build life-saving products for patients,” said Josh Miller, CEO at Gradient Health.
Gradient Health is Miller’s second company. His first, FarmShots, was a firm that used satellite imagery to help farmers identify problems. He sold the company to Syngenta in 2018.
Heenan said that Cone will receive an equity position in the company as well as access to Gradient's cutting-edge technologies.
