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IQ-AI subsidiary Imaging Biometrics (IB) was awarded a US patent for its artificial intelligence (AI) software technology that eliminates the need for gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) in medical imaging exams. The fully automated AI technology, called IB Zero G, accepts non-contrast medical images as inputs and produces a synthetic image series that mimics contrast-enhanced images of comparable diagnostic quality. Currently in the investigational stage, IB Zero G is compatible with all MRI system platforms.
Injected intravenously, GBCAs improve diagnostic interpretation of MR imaging by highlighting abnormal areas of internal tissues and structures. Gadolinium, a heavy metal, has special paramagnetic properties which make it useful as a contrast agent. However, gadolinium can stay in a body for years, introducing potential safety and liability concerns for patients and healthcare institutions. While there are no known long-term adverse side effects from retained gadolinium in most patients, certain patients are at higher risk of adverse side effects after receiving GBCAs. IB Zero G offers an extremely attractive alternative for these patients and healthcare providers.
By eliminating the need to acquire a contrast-enhanced series, IB Zero G means less time in the scanner for patients. And for healthcare systems, IB Zero G provides increased scanner availability and a reduction in gadolinium expense.
“This patent underscores the major impact AI applications can have in healthcare,” said Michael Schmainda, CEO of IB. “IB Zero G has the potential to significantly disrupt routine clinical workflows on a global basis and help millions of patients receive higher quality and safer MR exams,” Schmainda added.
Great work by Mona Al-Gizawiy, PhD from the #SchmaindaLab!
Potent in vivo efficacy of oral gallium maltolate in treatment-resistant glioblastoma https://frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2023.1278157
#IBSoftware non-invasively demonstrated the anti-tumor effects of oral GaM.
@AlMusella
@theABTA
@NBTStweets
https://twitter.com/IQAI_IB/status/1740459982674444563
Another case study published using IB Software!:
https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE23446
"We report these findings to the broader neurosurgical community as the first standardized rCBV values in a pathologically confirmed case of NCC in the United States.
https://twitter.com/IQAI_IB/status/1738242072723796450
Fast Track Designation
The Fast Track Designation process helps to facilitate the development and expedite the review of new drugs that treat a serious medical condition and fill an unmet medical need. By speeding up these processes, new drugs can get to patients in need faster than they normally would through standard tracks.
Fast Track Designation is intended to address unmet medical needs and a wide range of serious conditions. A drug may be granted Fast Track Designation if it is believed to have an impact on patient survival, day-to-day functioning, or if it is believed that the condition will progress in severity if left untreated. Examples of serious conditions that treatment drugs may receive Fast Track Designation for include: AIDS, Alzheimer’s, heart failure, cancer, epilepsy, depression, and diabetes.
If a therapy already exists, Fast Track Designation may still be granted if it is believed a therapy will serve an unmet medical need by potentially being better than available therapies.
Drugs that receive Fast Track Designation from the FDA are eligible for some or all of the following benefits:
More frequent meetings with the FDA
More frequent written communication with the FDA
Eligibility for Accelerated Approval and Priority Review if criteria are met
Rolling review
Drug companies can request Fast Track Designation, and the request can occur any time during the drug development process. Upon receipt, the FDA will review the Fast Track Designation request and make a decision within 60 days. If granted, it is encouraged for drug companies to have frequent communication with the FDA to ensure questions and issues are resolved quickly so the drug can be approved soon and get to patients who would benefit from it.
They’ve already stated that funding will come mostly from a large pharmaceutical company
“The multi-site Phase 2 trial will require new funding which we anticipate will come substantially from a partnership arrangement with a large pharmaceutical company and grants, including those from charitable foundations and other institutions.”
Hopefully we will hear soon about the other phase 1 they are planning for children which they’ve already said
“significant philanthropic funding. Consortiums of non-profits exist that help fund clinical trials for children, either partially or in their entirety. We have already made connections and introduced our progress to one organization. In turn, they identified several hospitals with whom they have established relationships.”
New year is going to be exciting!! In my opinion the next couple of rns will be announcing a partnership for phase 2 with a large pharmaceutical company!
The London Stock Exchange suffered a second trading outage today as it was hit by an “incident” on its trading information system.
Only the FTSE 100, FTSE 250 and IOB securities are available for trading following the latest outage.
A similar incident affected about 2,000 stocks, including the likes of Asos and Deliveroo, for about half an hour this morning.
The operational notice on its website warned: “We are undertaking immediate analysis and will provide further updates through our live service portal.”
No reason has been given for the downtime.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/12/05/ftse-100-markets-news-live-thames-water-us-jobs/
Https://youtu.be/ZwVC1PUvtXk
Interesting explanation
Another example of the wider uses of gallium maltolate . This time a journal article treating burn wound infections.
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/aac.01330-08
Just having a random search and came across this trial for gallium maltolate. Think it’s from when everyone was looking at everything to try to treat covid 19. Interesting read.
GaM was selected as the gallium compound because it has already completed several Phase 1 clinical trials, in a total of 94 subjects, in which it demonstrated a high level of safety and tolerability, even when administered at high daily doses for many weeks at a time.16,17 No dose-limiting or other serious adverse effects were reported at doses of up to 3500 mg/day for repeated 28-day cycles.17 At the highest doses (>2000 mg/day) there was an increase in diarrhea, likely due to osmotic effects in the gut, and transient, mild iron-deficiency anemia, due to the competition of Ga3+ with Fe3+.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2040206620983780?icid=int.sj-full-text.similar-articles.4
Https://ahwendowment.org/AHW/Funded-Projects.htm
The grants should be posted on this link. Had a quick look and there’s loads. The amounts varying from under $200k to above also seen a big one for $5.5m(Solving Protein Structures to Uncover Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer) considering we will eventually be able to see under funded section they should tell us how much. Be good if it’s also a big one!