Clarius teams up with ThinkSono for AI-guided ultrasound system

Mobile ultrasound company Clarius Mobile Health partnered with AI ultrasound organization ThinkSono for a new application called ThinkSono Guidance, an AI-enabled application available in Europe that pairs with Clarius scanners to improve deep vein thrombosis (DVT) detection. 

Clarius handheld wireless AI-powered ultrasound scanners connect to smartphones and deliver high-resolution ultrasound images to clinicians. 

ThinkSono Guidance allows health providers not trained in ultrasound to use Clarius scanners to collect DVT data from patients for qualified physicians to review. 

ThinkSono Guidance received Class IIb CE mark approval in March and is available in Europe and the U.K. 

Clinical studies based on the application are underway at NYU Langone Health and Temple Health. The companies said the goal is to gain FDA approval eventually.

“Clarius has been an invaluable partner in helping us bring ThinkSono Guidance to market quickly to help non-ultrasound trained staff such as nurses improve the DVT pathway by scanning for DVTs at the bedside. Our app integrates seamlessly with Clarius scanners through the research SDK, which sends streams of real-time data to the ThinkSono App that in turn provides instant guidance to users as they perform an ultrasound exam. Our partnership with Clarius has been vital in running our clinical studies,” Fouad-Al Noor, CEO and cofounder of ThinkSono, said in a statement. 

THE LARGER TREND

ThinkSono received pre-seed funding in 2019 from Speed Invest with additional investment from Entrepreneur First, AI Seed, WestTech Ventures and HPI Seed Fund. At the time, the London-based company said it would use the funds to launch AutoDVT, which also seeks to improve DVT detection. 

In October, ThinkSono partnered with portable-ultrasound company Butterfly Network. The collaboration enabled Butterfly users to take advantage of ThinkSono’s AI solution for DVT. 

In March, ThinkSono announced it closed $2.7 million in funding, bringing its total raise to $6.4 million. The company said it would use the funds to begin expansion into the U.S market. 

In January, Clarius released an AI-driven solution for automatic bladder volume measurement, available through the company’s PAL HD3, PA HD3 and C3 HD3 wireless handheld ultrasound scanners.

Vancouver-based Clarius announced FDA clearance for its AI ultrasound application for musculoskeletal imaging in February. The application automates tendon identification using AI. 

Clarius announced in March that it received $3.4 million in expansion funding from the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada. The company said it intends to use the funds to expand into the IndoPacific region and accelerate growth in the U.S.