GE HealthCare Awarded $44M Grant to Develop AI-Assisted Ultrasound Tech

GE HealthCare has received an over $44 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to build user-friendly, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted ultrasound imaging auto-assessment tools.
 
The company said the tools aim to help healthcare professionals, even those without specialized ultrasound training or experience, with clinical decision info to support more effective obstetric and lung screening ultrasounds in maternal care, fetal care, and pediatric lung health. GE HealthCare said it’s goal is to broaden access to low-and-middle income countries and across diverse care sites.
 
Caption Health, which GE HealthCare acquired in February of this year, will design the tech to run across a variety of ultrasound devices and probes, even including lower-cost, handheld devices.
 
“We are proud and excited to have received this grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to make ultrasound more accessible in low-and-middle income countries. Ultrasound is an essential tool for screening and diagnosis of various medical conditions, including the health of expectant mothers and managing respiratory diseases,” Roland Rott, president and CEO, Ultrasound, GE HealthCare told the press. “However, a key limitation is the guidance of lesser-skilled users to effectively apply affordable point-of-care ultrasound in their care environment. This grant will help bring Caption Health’s leading AI technology customized to more users, and therefore contribute to increased access to higher-quality medical care.”
 
In 2020, Caption Health received a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant to support development of innovative AI technology for lung ultrasound.
 
“Caption Health AI applications are designed to guide healthcare professionals, step-by-step, during an ultrasound exam to help them capture and interpret high-quality ultrasound images,” said Karley Yoder, chief digital officer, Ultrasound, GE HealthCare and GM, Caption Health. “We are thankful for the continued support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which enables us to expand the development of our existing lung ultrasound project and also broaden the reach of this powerful, novel technology to help provide care to mothers and children.”
 
Caption Health currently offers Cardiac Guidance software, which is FDA cleared. With the support of the grant, Caption Health said it aims to develop multiple lung ultrasound and obstetric algorithms through clinical validation and regulatory submissions.