The fund will be channeled into creating some of the world’s smallest MRI machines
Aspect Imaging, a Singapore-based life-science startup, has recently announced that it has raised US$20 million in its latest round of funding, bringing its total funding to US$120 million since launch. The company plans to make the diagnostic tests more accessible to patients worldwide through its affordable and compact MRI machines.
The small MRIs can be installed almost anywhere, and operated by almost anyone, which enables more patients to receive MRI scans on a more regular basis to help them keep updated on their health.
The company has already developed and released a family of eight different products, specialising in the medical, advanced industrial, and preclinical fields.
Aspect Imaging’s MRI products are significantly more compact than the typical MRI machine to make it easier for hospitals and private clinics to include them in their facilities, allowing patients to have more access to their tests and results.
In addition to making MRIs more available to patients, Aspect Imaging also produces MRIs for scientific research. The company’s medical solutions include the compact Embrace Neonatal MRI System and the FDA-approved WristView MRI System.
Placed inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a hospital, the Embrace System preps and scans pre-born babies in less than an hour without the baby having to leave the NICU. The system has everything needed for providing continuous scanning and monitoring, not needing any special medical equipment.
The machine doesn’t emit any external noise or energy and operates in any stable room temperature environment.
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Aspect Imaging claims that the WristView, FDA-cleared MRI system, is a dedicated hand and wrist MRI system which cuts out the unnecessary claustrophobic feeling some patients may feel when having a diagnostic test done.
The system requires no special shielding room or cooling systems while providing results that can be easily accessed by doctors across a broad range of fields in medical facilities which would not normally have the budget or the specialised staff required to operate a full-body MRI scan.
Both the WristView and the Embrace Neonatal MRI systems are based on a one-tesla, the most powerful permanent magnet in the field, with bore size and general design that are optimised for the application.
“I love making something that’s supposed to be complicated as easy as possible,” said Uri Rapoport, Founder, President & CEO of Aspect Imaging, in a press statement.
“Whether it’s an engineer analysing crude oil and mud or a doctor scanning the brain activity of a newborn infant, a system should be easy to use and easy to read in order to get the answers needed to deliver the best results. Our goal is to make everyone’s lives easier by cutting out unnecessary factors. I want to bring the MRI to the patient and not the patient to the MRI,” he added.
Founded in 2014, Aspect Imaging is part of Aspect Intl. LLC, a Singapore-based company in the design and development of compact MR imaging and NMR systems for medical, advanced industrial and preclinical applications.
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