AWS' new accelerator cohort will focus on health equity and more digital health briefs

Also: Anumana receives FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for its ECG-based algorithm designed for early detection of pulmonary hypertension, and AI-enabled imaging companies Aidoc and Gleamer partner.
By Emily Olsen
01:49 pm
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Photo: Gary Burchell/Getty Images

Amazon Web Services is now accepting applications for the latest cohort of its Healthcare Accelerator, which this year will target improving health outcomes for underserved communities. 

The accelerator will accept 10 startups focused on increasing access to healthcare, reducing disparities by managing social determinants of health and using data for equity in healthcare. The companies will receive connections to venture capital firms, help with business planning, AWS training, opportunities to work with AWS partners, and go-to-market planning.

This is the second year of AWS' accelerator in the U.S., and it recently launched a UK-based program that began in March.

Applications are due July 1, and the program will begin in late August. 


Anumana, a venture from biomedical-data company nference, announced it had received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for its ECG-based AI algorithm designed for early detection of pulmonary hypertension.

The Breakthrough Device Designation isn’t a marketing approval from the FDA, but it aims to accelerate review of products that could help treat debilitating or life-threatening conditions.

If the algorithm is approved in the future, Anumana said it could be downloaded on a physician's device, like a smartphone or laptop, or accessed on the cloud through an EHR or ECG information management system. 

"Electrophysiology waveforms hold immense untapped potential for detecting diseases earlier in their natural history, particularly for conditions in which earlier diagnosis and therapeutic intervention can prolong survival and improve quality of life," Venky Soundararajan, cofounder and chief scientific officer of Anumana and nference, said in a statement.

"The FDA's Breakthrough Device Designation for Anumana's PH Early Detection Algorithm is one step forward for the field of ECG AI overall, and more saliently, a giant leap forward for PH patients."


AI-enabled imaging companies Aidoc and Gleamer are partnering to integrate the latter's BoneView tool for X-rays into Aidoc's platform.

Gleamer's software earned FDA 510(k) clearance earlier this year to detect potential fractures from X-rays, sending the results to radiologists for confirmation. Meanwhile, Aidoc recently received clearance for its pneumothorax-detection tool using X-rays. 

"Considering that bone trauma X-rays account for a high percentage of hospital imaging volume, the integration of Gleamer's solution is an important step in our mission to provide comprehensive coverage with AI," Tom Valent, VP of business development at Aidoc, said in a statement.

"Powered by the enterprise-grade scalability of our AI platform, Gleamer's solution is another highly valued addition to our suite of industry-leading AI solutions that, combined, empower health systems to improve patient outcomes across multiple modalities and service lines within the hub-and-spoke model."

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