News | Artificial Intelligence | August 17, 2020

Subtle's AI improves MRI safety exams by reducing gadolinium dose

Subtle's AI improves MRI safety exams by reducing gadolinium dose

August 17, 2020 — Subtle Medical is approved for Phase II of its NIH SBIR grant to develop an innovative artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software, SubtleGAD, which uses deep learning (DL) to reduce gadolinium dosage needed during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams. Phase II funding is based on the results achieved during Phase I, as well as the scientific and technical merit of the project.

SubtleGAD will benefit millions of patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) who cannot currently undergo contrast-enhanced MRI, and will reduce the risk of gadolinium retention for many more patients with normal kidney function.

Recognizing the impact of Subtle Medical's AI software on improving patient safety and experience in medical imaging, Subtle Medical was named to 2020 CB Insights Digital Health 150.  Subtle was previously named CB Insights Top AI 100. 

"Receiving Phase II of the SBIR grant is a tremendous nod to our progress with SubtleGAD. With this technology, hospitals and imaging centers will be able to deliver safer low-dose contrast-enhanced MRI exams without sacrificing the clinical quality of the images," said Enhao Gong, PhD, Co-founder and CEO. "We appreciate the NIH's support in the development of this novel AI product and look forward to deploying it in clinical settings."

Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) are used in approximately one-third of the 40 million MRI scans performed annually. The usage of GBCAs has been linked to the development of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), and the recent identification of gadolinium deposition within the brain and body has raised safety concerns about the usage of GBCAs. The FDA has issued warnings about gadolinium retention and required GBCA manufacturers to further assess the safety issues.

Subtle Medical presented SubtleGAD research at RSNA 2018, NeurIPS 2019, and ISMRM 2020, demonstrating positive results from clinical reader studies conducted in multiple institutes in the US and abroad.

SubtleGAD is the third product under development in Subtle Medical's growing portfolio of AI technologies aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of radiology. SubtleMR applies two methods of image enhancement — denoising and increasing image sharpness — to improve image quality, while SubtlePET denoises scans that were conducted in 25% of the original scan duration. Both products are FDA-cleared and CE-marked to run on all scanner models and are in clinical use in the US and abroad.

For more information: www.subtlemedical.com

Related Content of MRI Gadolinium Safety Concerns

The Debate Over Gadolinium MRI Contrast Toxicity

VIDEO: How Serious is MRI Gadolinium Retention in the Brain and Body? An interview with Max Wintermark, M.D.

VIDEO “Big Concerns Remain for MRI Gadolinium Contrast Safety at RSNA 2017,” An interview with Emanuel Kanal, M.D.

Radiology Has Failed to Properly Assess or Track MRI Gadolinium Contrast Safety

Recent Developments in Contrast Media

FDA Committee Votes to Expand Warning Labels on Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents

European Medicines Agency Issues Update on Gadolinium Contrast Agents

ISMRM Issues Guidelines for MRI Gadolinium Contrast Agents

FDA: No Harm in MRI Gadolinium Retention in the Brain

VIDEO: MRI Gadolinium Contrast Retention in the Brain

Gadolinium May Remain in Brain After Contrast MRI


Related Content

News | Computed Tomography (CT)

July 01, 2025 — NANO-X Imaging Ltd. recently announced a clinical and educational collaboration with Keiser University ...

Time July 03, 2025
arrow
News | Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

July 2, 2025 — Philips has received FDA 510(k) clearance for SmartSpeed Precise[1] MR’s latest deep learning ...

Time July 03, 2025
arrow
News | Ultrasound Imaging

July 1, 2025 — UPDATE: The final paper is now available at: JMIR AI - ChatGPT-4–Driven Liver Ultrasound Radiomics ...

Time July 01, 2025
arrow
News | Ultrasound Imaging

June 26, 2025 — FUJIFILM VisualSonics Inc., a provider of ultra-high frequency ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging ...

Time June 27, 2025
arrow
News | Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

June 26, 2025 — Siemens Healthineers has received Food and Drug Administration clearance for the Magnetom Flow.Ace, its ...

Time June 26, 2025
arrow
News | Prostate Cancer

June 26, 2025 – Quibim, a global provider of quantitative medical imaging solutions, has launched AI-QUAL, a new feature ...

Time June 26, 2025
arrow
News | Bone Densitometry Systems

June 19, 2025 — Naitive Technologies has published results demonstrating the diagnostic performance of its AI-powered ...

Time June 18, 2025
arrow
News | Lung Imaging

June 18, 2025 — Exo recently announced that now included on its Exo Iris is the first ever FDA 510(k) cleared AI for ...

Time June 18, 2025
arrow
News | Imaging Software Development

June 12, 2025 — GE HealthCare has announced the combination of GE HealthCare’s proprietary features and algorithms with ...

Time June 12, 2025
arrow
News | Digital Pathology

June 11, 2025 — Diagnostic laboratory leaders view digital pathology and artificial intelligence (AI) as pivotal to ...

Time June 12, 2025
arrow
Subscribe Now