Abdul Latif Jameel Health, iSono Health to Launch AI-driven 3D Breast Ultrasound Scanner for Breast Care

Rebecca Ejifoma

To transform breast care with automated imaging and artificial intelligence (AI), Abdul Latif Jameel Health announced a new distribution agreement with iSono Health, a medical technology company in San Francisco, US.

Abdul Latif Jameel Health will become the exclusive distributor of iSono Health’s ATUSA scanner in the Global South, making it available to hundreds of millions of women in an initial 31 countries covering the Middle East and North Africa, Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. 

The female-founded iSono Health is transforming breast imaging with a first-of-its-kind, compact automated whole breast ultrasound system featuring a unique wearable accessory and intuitive, intelligent software for automated image acquisition and analysis.  

The patented and FDA-cleared ATUSA system is a compact ultrasound scanner that captures 3D images through automated scanning of the whole breast in just two minutes, independent of operator expertise.  

The Founder and CEO, iSono Health, Maryam Ziaei, said, “This new partnership is a significant milestone in our history and an important step forward in making our ATUSA scanner accessible to millions more women across the world.  

“Working with Abdul Latif Jameel Health will empower so many more women to access the healthcare they need, to improve patient experiences and to bring peace of mind.”

She noted that they have been able to develop a scanner which takes two minutes to scan and makes breast imaging painless and convenient.  “We’re very much looking forward to bringing this technology to the region and making a lasting, sustainable impact.” 

According to the World Health Organisation, breast cancer is the world’s most prevalent cancer. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.  

It added that access to personalised and efficient breast imaging is critical in every step of the patient’s journey from screening to detection, treatment, surgery to monitoring.  

The ATUSA system is designed to offer enhanced efficiency, consistent accuracy, and a comfortable patient experience, therefore making 3D breast ultrasound imaging accessible to patients and physicians at points of care, around the world. 

The agreement will see Abdul Latif Jameel Health distribute the ATUSA scanner across the Middle East and North Africa as well as African markets including South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.

The CEO of Abdul Latif Jameel Health, Akram Bouchenaki, admitted that working with Maryam Ziaei, and Shadi Saberi, co-founders with PhDs in Engineering, and the whole iSono Health team has made it clear the perfect synergy they share in their vision to improve access to healthcare, eliminate the disparity in health equity across the world, and how using state-of-the-art health tech will help them achieve these goals. 

Last year, Abdul Latif Jameel Health announced the creation of its new international commercial ecosystem, helping to accelerate access to modern medical care and drive health inclusivity across the Global South.  

The network of confirmed partners will cover key markets across a wide geographic area and will see an on-the-ground distribution of Abdul Latif Jameel Health-approved products into hospitals, clinics and medical institutions to fast-track health inclusion for those who need it most. 

Bouchenaki added: “At Abdul Latif Jameel Health, we are delivering on our promise of offering an integrated ‘one-stop’ managed service to medical devices, pharmaceutical products, diagnostic and therapeutics manufacturers to afford them multi-market access more rapidly than they could manage individually.”

“We will distribute their products to the populations that can most benefit from them sooner, meeting unmet medical needs, driving healthcare inclusivity, and in parallel, opening the unrealised commercial potential of these markets.” 

Since its launch in 2020, Abdul Latif Jameel Health has developed strong relationships with renowned health partners utilising innovation and industry-disruptive approaches to deliver healthcare in more efficient ways. Partners include Butterfly Network, EQRx, Cyberdyne, Evelo Biosciences, Melody International, Holoeyes Inc., and now, iSono Health. 

Abdul Latif Jameel Health was created as a response to the ongoing global disparity in access to modern medical care, focusing on accelerating healthcare inclusion across the Global South.