Subtle Medical

Originating from Stanford University in 2017, Subtle Medical was established by Dr. Greg Zaharchuk, a Professor of Radiology and Neuroradiologist at Stanford, and Dr. Enhao Gong, a deep learning scientist who was completing his Ph.D. under Dr. Zaharchuk. Their collaboration began in 2016, fueled by a shared interest in enhancing the quality and accessibility of medical imaging through the application of deep learning. This partnership led to the creation of Subtle Medical, which was subsequently accepted into the Stanford StartX program. The company has secured over $50 million in total funding through multiple rounds, including a Series B that brought in over $30 million.

Subtle Medical provides AI-powered software solutions designed to improve the efficiency and quality of medical imaging procedures for hospitals and imaging centers. Its business model encompasses several approaches: offering Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions to healthcare providers, collaborating with pharmaceutical companies to enhance radiopharmaceutical applications, and partnering with medical imaging equipment manufacturers like Siemens Healthineers to improve scanner performance. By focusing on the image acquisition phase, the company helps clients increase patient throughput, which can lead to a clear return on investment. Serving over 600 sites globally, the company's technology impacts approximately 2.5 million patients annually.

The company's product suite includes several FDA-cleared and CE-marked software solutions that are compatible with any scanner brand. SubtlePET™ enhances the image quality of PET scans, allowing for up to a 75% reduction in scan time. SubtleMR™ utilizes denoising and super-resolution techniques to improve the image quality of accelerated MRI scans. A key offering is the Subtle-ELITE™ package, which features three integrated tools. SubtleHD™ provides advanced denoising and sharpening for MRI images, enabling up to 80% faster scans. SubtleSYNTH™ generates synthetic STIR (Short Tau Inversion Recovery) images from existing T1 and T2 weighted contrasts with zero acquisition time, initially validated for spinal imaging. SubtleALIGN™ automates the alignment of 3D brain MR images to improve consistency in longitudinal studies. The company is also developing SubtleGAD™, a tool aimed at reducing the dosage of gadolinium contrast agents.

Keywords: medical imaging, AI in healthcare, deep learning, radiology workflow, image enhancement, PET scan optimization, MRI acceleration, FDA clearance, CE mark, neuroradiology, image acquisition software, SaaS in healthcare, radiopharmaceuticals, medical imaging AI, scanner agnostic software, healthcare technology, diagnostic imaging, image reconstruction, digital health, generative AI