Elm Grove-based Imaging Biometrics LLC has filed a patent application for its MRI software, which allows for the procedure to take place without the use of contrast agents.
The company also revealed it was acquired in May by Jersey-based parent company IQ-AI (formerly known as Flying Brands Ltd.), which trades on the London Stock Exchange. Imaging Biometrics was sold for an undisclosed price by founder Michael Schmainda and his wife, Kathleen. IB’s six employees will be retained at their Elm Grove office.
Imaging Biometrics has developed medical software that takes diagnostic images from CT scans or MRIs and digitizes them, then runs software algorithms on the image to provide diagnostic help to doctors. The software examines blood supply in an area of the body, for example, to help a radiologist determine whether a mass is a tumor or scar tissue, said David Smith, chief operating officer of IQ-AI.
“One of the problems with MRI scans is that the regrowth of a tumor can appear to be exactly the same as scar tissue,” Smith said. “Often with brain tumors, they will look for a blood supply, obviously, to nourish themselves and grow.”
The patent application is for “gadolinium-free MR imaging of the brain and other organs.” Imaging Biometrics’ technology helps radiologists get a clear image of the MRI without gadolinium-based contrast agents, which the company says show toxicity potential, and would also offer savings for health care providers.
