eHealth Ventures is excited to announce its latest investment in Patool.AI, a company that is developing a highly innovative virtual staining system using a unique combination of hardware and deep learning algorithm models.
As conducted today, the process of testing lab samples in hospitals and pathology laboratories is both lengthy and expensive. The current market for Immunohistochemistry (a laboratory method that checks for antigens in tissues via antibodies) is evaluated between $3-4B annually, expanding at a CAGR of 7.8%. As the number of global cases of chronic disease and cancer continues to rise, hospitals and labs are looking for solutions that offer greater flexibility in terms of patient needs and accessibility.
Patool.AI’s solution is a system that combines hyperspectral tissue imaging with deep learning algorithms to perform a “virtual stain” on the tissue. This “virtual stain” is based on an image processing algorithm instead of histochemical staining methods performed in laboratories today.
Patool.AI’s system will enable pathologists to make decisions in real-time, as opposed to the current labs which take several hours to process samples. Additionally, the costs of virtual staining are significantly lower than laboratory staining, while allowing for multiple stains using the same slice of tissue. This solution would enable rapid and inexpensive laboratory-level tests to be conducted during surgery, opening a new market for intraoperative laboratory testing.
Patool.AI is led by CEO Sasson Elya—former Executive VP and CIO at the Prime Minister’s office with 30 years of experience in Information Technology, and CTO Eli Eisenstein, Ph.D.—an AI and Machine Learning expert with 20 of experience in software development. Patool.AI is enthusiastic about joining the eHealth Ventures Incubator and working on this meaningful project that can open new markets within pathology testing. The project’s entrepreneurs Elya and Eisenstein share “We are very excited to join the incubator. We hope and believe that we will achieve great success with our innovative technology, while successfully working with the incubator staff and receiving the support and connections they can provide us!”
eHealth Ventures believes in the potential of its new portfolio company. Ophir Shahaf, VP of Business Development at eHealth Ventures shares his views on Patool.AI: “The revolution of digital health diagnostics includes high-throughput, AI-based systems that will make diagnosis at the point of care more accessible, inexpensive, and accurate. Patool.AI is clearly at the right place at the right time and we have a lot of confidence in its highly experienced and talented team”.
For more information:
Sasson Elya—CEO, sasson.elya@patoolai.com
Eli Eisenstein—CTO, elie@patoolai.com
About eHealth Ventures
The eHealth Ventures partnership is a leading investor in early-stage digital health companies.
It includes 2 VC funds and a technological incubator with an exclusive focus on digital health and significant government non-dilutive funding. Partners include Maccabi (a leading Israeli HMO), Amgen (global biotech giant), the Mayo Clinic, Medison Ventures, Arad Investments, and the Hadar Group. The team has reviewed over 1,650 companies to date and invested in a portfolio of 24 highly innovative companies (digital diagnostics, therapeutics, home care and Bioconvergence).
