Ultromics becomes founding partner of AI centre of excellence

UK start-up Ultromics has become a founding partner of the National Consortium of Intelligent Medical Imaging (NCIMI) and will help them as part of a government-led initiative which has seen the announcement of five centres of excellence for artificial intelligence (AI).

The initiative is a bid to improve diagnostic services and establish a network of digital pathology, imaging and AI centres.

Ultromics has previously developed an AI-based ultrasound diagnostic support tool for coronary artery disease (CAD) and will develop an AI-based diagnostic ecosystem with NICMI.

NCIMI aims to provide results for patients by using AI in medical imaging across MRI, CT, PET, X-Ray and ultrasound. Led by Oxford University and including a range of NHS Trusts, industry partners, and SMEs, the consortium will receive £10 million of investment from Innovate UK as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge fund – with a further £5 million coming from commercial partners.

With the help of that financial backing, as part of its aims, the consortium intends to develop a sustainable platform for further innovations – as well as a framework for future NHS adoption of AI-based technologies.

Ross Upton, CEO and academic founder of Ultromics, said: “I’m delighted to be contributing to the efforts of this consortium. We’ve always believed that AI could make a real impact on patient outcomes. Through our own work, and our work with NCIMI, we intend to prove it.”

Ultromics’ work, which uses AI to facilitate early detection of cardiovascular disease, will contribute to these objectives as part of a new pipeline of algorithms designed to benefit NHS patients.

Professor Gavin Screaton, head of the University of Oxford Medical Sciences Division said: “We are delighted that Innovate UK has chosen to support our National Consortium. We believe that combining the heath data, ethics, clinical and AI expertise within the University with a national NHS network and a range of industry partners has real potential to introduce new solutions which will improve patient care”.