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Derek Sexton
CEO
Mireye
Contact:
Derek Sexton
416-
Interview conducted by:
Lynn Fosse, Senior Editor
CEOCFO Magazine
Published – March 21, 2022
CEOCFO: Mr. Sexton, what is the concept behind Mireye?
Mr. Sexton: The concept is a group of individuals have come together for a purpose of seeing advanced technology improve the medical imaging experience, both for patients and for technicians. It is really a dedicated group of professionals that are passionate about bringing better medical imaging globally. That is how it all started and is the is the purpose that drives our efforts.
Here at Mireye, we strongly feel that technology combined with guidance and focus on creating best products will, in fact, substantially improve the medical imaging experience for both patients and technicians. We are sure this will make a better overall experience for patient care.
CEOCFO: What is wrong with the way x-
Mr. Sexton: We identified particular issues and directed our efforts to improve on these specifically. Allow me to outline some of these here. There is always a concern for safety, so let us start with safety as taking a medical image involves exposure to dosage of radiation. There can be a number of instances where acquisition of a medical image has to be repeated as the optimum image for the study does not get produced. One of the main reasons for a repeat image acquisition that we honed in on is the difficulty in positioning and alignment of the person’s body part with the imaging equipment. What you want to do in an x-
We recognized that body part positioning and alignment is essential to successful medical imaging, and that is one of the factors that we have really narrowed our focus on. We set to achieve the scenario where the imaging equipment can actually see the patient, identify the region of interest for the acquisition process and then properly position and align to the body part to acquire the best image while utilizing lowest dosage values. This is very much an oversimplification of the process, but study area positioning and alignment is really one of the major challenges of the medical imaging process. There is a lot to think about in terms of positioning and alignment because you have one end of the device emitting, and then you have the other end of the device trying to capture the image, and these have to be properly aligned. This device alignment is critical and can interrupt the workflow and image quality. The image must be clear and free of noise, blurriness, artifacts or any distortion. The image must provide the best advantage for the medical practitioner to see the area of interest clearly in order to make the correct diagnosis. There are quite a few challenges in positioning and alignment that can hinder this, and we have created the features that drastically reduce the workflow and address these challenges through high tech software and hardware development We want to eliminate the cumbersome experience that can happen during acquisition workflow. We want to remove chance of any misalignment. We want to automate any necessary measuring and positioning.
We very much realize that medical imaging professionals and their facilities are extremely busy all the time. Even more the reason we wanted to develop a solution that really focuses on providing the best experience while automating the manual processes so there is a better overall atmosphere and interaction of equipment and people, both the patients and the healthcare professionals. To put it directly, we want equipment to see the patient, as if with actual eyes. It will already know why the patient is here, because that information is provided by hospital administration, so it can focus in and then say to the technician, “This is your best shot, this is your best chance for completing this study with the highest possible quality under the lowest dosage, and you are ready to go,” and the technician simply says, “Thank you very much.” Therefore, it is straight forward what we need to provide. A solution that will acquire the best image through automating the workflow and providing the best acquisition conditions, but also ensure the lowest dosage to patient. We believe we can provide this now.
CEOCFO: What hardware might be put in the machine, or built in the machine that is not there now, or how, if it is already there, would it be tweaked? Are you looking to AI?
Mr. Sexton: That is a great question. Much of the existing imaging equipment in use now are missing the actual “eyes” to see the patient. Therefore, you do need a specialized camera to be able to see and assess the distance, thickness and such to actually see the patient. This is essential. However, we are really talking about more than just eyes, there must also be a brain and spine for the system.
This led Mireye to the development of AI, machine learning and advanced software because you need to have the equipment understand what it is seeing. This can only be achieved by going through thousands and thousands of studies and learning what it is looking at and what is a successful acquisition for a type of study and what is failure. That is incredibly important and that is a lot of work on the technology side. AI, absolutely. You need a learning and decision environment. Machine learning to be able to adapt to changing circumstances. Software that enables communication with many components. For a successful medical image acquisition, you need the right amount of power. You must have identified and align with the body part. You must have the body area of interest in frame. Then you have to produce an image that will provide the best opportunity for successful diagnosis. We believe all this requires an intelligent solution where different components are in communication to perform a workflow that is precisely carried out and produces the optimum medical image. There is a little breakdown of what is going on here and what we do.
CEOCFO: Would this involve brand new machinery? Are there components that would be replaced in current equipment?
Mr. Sexton: That is another very good question. We are handling it this way. With our Intelligent Upgrade Solution, we can certainly go in and insert our technology to an existing system, making it intelligent and able to achieve the workflow we have discussed. This is what we can do. We can provide a very advanced upgrade package for existing equipment that is easy to integrate. This is why we are so excited, because it means that we can literally help the entire industry upgrade and be futuresque right now. To have an immediate high value positive impact is why we developed much of our technology to be an upgrade for what is out there now serving patients.
We are also designing and developing full equipment solutions to serve the industry. Equipment that is ergonomic, sleek, much lighter and much more mechanically innovated. if I may say very simply, the experience with this equipment is very coordinated for the patient, where the movement and the interaction between the device and the patient is both optimal and minimal. The technician can see everything on a mobile device from a safe distance. They can focus on the overall experience and not be tied to manual adjustments. This equipment is very smooth, it is very unintrusive, and it is very minimal with full safety features.
However, also in development is something I am personally very excited about. Where our high tech and robotic motion blend into a system that serves the patient safely and quickly, producing an optimum image directly to the radiologist fully annotated. We are thinking ahead, and we are trying to make it all happen now.
CEOCFO: Do you see ultimately real health benefits, as your process is cleaner and simpler, so there is less re-
Mr. Sexton: Digital radiography was an incredible change already, and that has made certainly made it much more accessible, and in terms of time, it took away some of the time constraints as well. With our technology, we are also talking about time, because we are automating so much of the manual part of the acquisition workflow. We want to see people be able to get the images that they need, because things are already backed up. The workflow that is unlocked through our technology saves a significant amount of time and therefore imaging centers can serve more patients. People are already waiting quite a while to have an image taken. Therefore, in terms of accessibility, if this can change for the better you will certainly see an increase in usage.
With our technology providing a safe and simpler workflow that will reduce the chance of repeated studies, patients can also be assured that their best interests are being served. It also reduces the workload on the technician and equipment. This has a positive effect on cost and efficiency. An x-
If medical imaging is accessible and is very safe, with the lowest possible dosage, then it becomes a tool for medical practitioners they can feel more secure using. Everyone should benefit from what we and many others do to improve the medical imaging process.
CEOCFO: Mireye just launched your Intelligent Imaging technology. What is your plan in the next year or so, to get this in the hands of people that should have it?
Mr. Sexton: The first thing we are doing is meeting with target partners to discuss integration and collaboration. Our technology is easily integrated to existing systems and we need to ensure that our team is available to discuss any questions partners may have and also be on hand to clearly outline the full capability of the technology and assure our focus on support. We also are collaborating to and presenting next generation possibilities for partners that are interested in offering intelligent solutions to their customers. This is where our team come in and review partner design and function, then consult on how our technology can provide the features and benefits our partners want to have in their system.
When you have this type of technology and you know the benefits are necessary and tangible, you always want to be talking with others that match your passion and purpose to unlock a collaboration that can really serve the industry. This is a lot of my time. Much of the next year and beyond will be showcasing in front of the industry and professionals on what we can do, and that is exactly what we are doing. We are putting it front of, not only end users, but we are putting it in front of the industry at large, to say, “Here we are and here is what we have and here is how we can benefit everyone.” It takes a lot of interesting conversations with different professionals, engineers, technologists, and radiologists to be able to grasp the extent of how we can radically change medical imaging. To be honest with you, it is many conversations, and they will certainly continue throughout this year. There is no resting on your laurels.
We also have to continue development and improvement. As I mentioned, we are developing full systems, so that means not only mechanical design, but you have industrial design, constant improvement of the technology, and we are also looking to always be adding features.
When you take a look at companies like Intel, where they are an integral part of the industry but are hidden inside equipment, yet you recognize the brand, that is really what we want for Mireye. We want to be inside the industry, inside everything that happens in medical imaging and be the brand that absolutely elevates medical imaging equipment to its best potential. You hear a lot about disrupting, value adding and advanced technology in business these days, and that is all good, but that is all vocabulary. Are we disrupting? Absolutely! Is it new, is it advanced? Absolutely! However, we just want to help change medical imaging workflow for the better and provide the best tools for patient care. We want people coming away from the experience with our technology saying that it really helped. I think everyone in the medical imaging industry is pointed towards this, and we want to be a significant source of the improvements that positively impacts patient care.
It is a big year, and it has started with a lot of very smart conversations with people that share our passion and purpose. I see this as the best way for our technology to be in the hands of those that need it. We are ready to bring the future of medical imaging now.
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‘To put it directly, we want equipment to see the patient, as if with actual eyes. It will already know why the patient is here, because that information is provided by hospital administration, so it can focus in and then say to the technician, “This is your best shot, this is your best chance for completing this study with the highest possible quality under the lowest dosage, and you are ready to go,” and the technician simply says, “Thank you very much.”
Derek Sexton