MedyMatch Technology, a deep learning and artificial intelligence company, has developed a new, powerful A.I.-based application that helps support emergency room imaging experts correctly diagnose stroke, and provide the right treatment at the right time.

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death and one of the top causes of preventable disability in the United States, according to the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Forecasts say that there will be approximately 3.4 million stroke victims annually in the U.S., costing the healthcare system $240 billion dollars on an annual basis.

“Like all great inventions, it was born out of necessity,” said Michael Rosenberg, chief commercial and financial officer at MedyMatch Technology. “How often do we all hear about friends or family members who go to the hospital with a severe headache, nothing is found and then have a stroke a few days later? Finding small brain bleeds is tough even for experts and this is where MedyMatch comes in, our technology is used to help average physicians perform like an expert.”

Physicians can benefit greatly with a decision support tool, Rosenberg said, adding that the response has been “overwhelmingly positive.” The company forecasts sales of the new brain bleed detection application to be in the tens of millions.

However, developing the application was not without its difficulties.

“Applying AI in healthcare is very different than using AI (machine and deep learning) to other ‘big data’ issues,” Rosenberg said. “In the case of healthcare, it’s about the right data, and the secret is how to get correlation in the data with smaller data sets.”

A world-class team of engineers, scientists, physicians and entrepreneurs with extensive medical, deep learning, machine vision and regulatory expertise developed the A.I.-based computer aided detection application.

IBM Health Watson Imaging group will distribute MedyMatch’s brain bleed detection application globally through its vendor neutral sales channels. The two companies expect to develop interoperability between the company’s products and services.

“No other global company has a platform similar to Watson, focused in healthcare. We complement IBM Watson Health and accelerate its position in the marketplace,“ Rosenberg said. “Innovation and collaboration are at the heart of our relationship, and we will provide an innovative approach to how AI is delivered to the marketplace.”

The company is currently conducting clinical trials in the U.S. and expects FDA approval shortly.