Philadelphia-based Proscia raised $50 million for an AI tool that reads biopsy images
Pathology can be subjective. This AI tool aims to standardize the process.
A Philadelphia-based software startup company wants to modernize how pathology test results are analyzed by replacing slides that are currently viewed under a microscope with highly detailed computer images scanned for irregularities by artificial intelligence.
Proscia, headquartered in Center City, recently raised $50 million to advance its AI software program, called Concentriq. The funding round, led by Insight Partners, a global software investor, brings the company’s total funding to $130 million.
Pathology results are typically embedded on dozens of slides that pathologists must individually review on a microscope, looking for irregular cells that could be a sign of cancer. The approach is time-consuming and subjective — two pathologists may have different interpretations of the same slide.
Concentriq aims to standardize the process and get results faster by using artificial intelligence to systematically scan for cell patterns that the program has been taught to flag.
The goal is not to replace pathologists, but to create a tool that helps doctors get patients results faster, said Proscia CEO David West.
Proscia and laboratory company Quest Diagnostics studied the approach and found that pathologists using Concentriq were able to complete 2.9 patient cases an hour, compared to 1.2 cases per hour with standard microscope technology.
“The pathologist is looking for a tiny instance of tumor in a haystack of benign tissue,” said West. “The artificial intelligence says, ‘Go here first,’ and will pinpoint where you should pay attention.”
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Each image is 1-20 gigabytes — extremely large and high-resolution files that allow pathologists to zoom in to cellular and subcellular levels.
Proscia’s platform is also used by pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical trials for new medications, to help analyze how patients are responding to treatment and who may be candidates for new therapies.
The $50 million will go toward ongoing advancement of the artificial intelligence tools, and expanding Proscia’s team. The company expects to add up to 100 employees to its 50-person staff over the next 18 months.