Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1528984
12 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | NOVEMBER 11, 2024 Marissa Fayer was named CEO of New Haven-based DeepLook Medical in September 2022. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Clearer View New Haven biotech DeepLook Medical's AI-driven imaging software targets better breast cancer detection 45% of them have dense breasts," she said. Fayer called the second patent, which protects the unique radiomic data that DL Precise generates, a "para- digm shift in decision-support technol- ogies — especially for breast imaging." In other words, the software makes it easier to detect breast cancer earlier, reducing or eliminating the need for more tests. In general, Fayer said, systems like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or CT scans highlight an area of the breast for further study. "They're just circling an area," she said. "They're putting a bull's-eye on it. … That's super helpful, … but they're not looking at the actual mass. We highlight the actual mass." 'It's just genetics' Fayer, who was named DeepLook's CEO in September 2022, is a former executive at Hologic Inc., one of largest medical imaging companies in the U.S. In addition to serving as CEO of a biotechnology company that has just six full-time employees — relying instead on retired industry executives and occasional contract employees nationwide — Fayer also is founder of HERHeatlhEQ, a nonprofit that raises awareness and works for equitable access to health care for women worldwide. The issues of healthcare access, and dense breasts requiring addi- tional scanning, actually intersect, she says, because there are "great technologies out there, but there needs to be add-ons and adjuncts to supplement that technology, because By David Krechevsky davidk@hartfordbusiness.com T his number is hard to ignore: 99% of women who receive an early breast cancer diagnosis survive the disease. That's what makes a new federal rule — set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — that took effect on Sept. 10 so noteworthy. It requires healthcare providers to tell patients during mammography screenings how dense their breasts are, because women with dense tissue may need additional screen- ings to detect cancer. While that's a key step in the fight against the disease, the cost of those additional screenings can be prohibitive. That concerned U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who in May 2023 introduced a bill in Congress to address the issue. The Find It Early Act would require all health insur- ance plans to cover screenings and diagnostic breast imaging with no out-of-pocket costs for women with dense breasts, or who are at higher risk of breast cancer. In September, DeLauro said the bill, which still hasn't passed Congress, is needed "so that women do not face exorbitant out-of-pocket costs when it comes to receiving these additional screenings, or forgo them entirely because they cannot afford them." According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 311,000 women are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer each year, with an estimated 43,250 deaths annually. Given those numbers, the bill has many supporters. Yet, there is another way to help women with dense breasts save money on additional screenings — by eliminating them. Enter New Haven-based medical technology startup DeepLook Medical. Since its founding in December 2018, DeepLook, based at 470 James St., has developed and secured two patents and FDA clearance for its medical imaging analysis software, called DL Precise. The company, which has raised millions of dollars in venture funding, says its shape-recognition software significantly improves the accuracy and efficiency of medical imaging, and is specifically designed to detect cancer in dense breast tissue. When it was granted its second patent in April, DeepLook stated that its software can leverage medical imaging data to isolate and display the underlying structure of masses in breasts that previously were "obscured, hidden or masked from human vision." CEO Marissa K. Fayer said the artificial intelligence-driven software can be used in a variety of ways, but company officials identified breast cancer imaging as a "huge niche." "All women about 40 (years old and up) have annual mammograms, and DEEPLOOK MEDICAL Industry: Medical imaging software Top Executive: Marissa K. Fayer, CEO HQ: 470 James St., Suite 7, New Haven Employees: 6 full-time Website: deeplookmedical.com