Generally, probably the most difficult medical circumstances and diagnoses require a change in perspective. Modern startups utilizing AI and Microsoft Azure are discovering new methods to introduce these views into the observe of drugs, each single day.
As Owen Phillips, Stanford-trained neuroscientist, watched his mom’s cognitive well being in speedy decline, he discovered himself in a place the place no quantity of educational experience might have ready him to expertise—and no present answer appeared able to diagnosing her situation.
Regardless of his deep connections within the medical area, her situation remained undiagnosed—till the expertise he was constructing at his startup, BrainKey, ultimately helped uncover the true situation: a treatable situation known as regular stress hydrocephalus.
That second grew to become the catalyst for BrainKey’s mission: to empower sufferers and physicians with earlier, extra correct insights into mind well being utilizing AI and medical imaging.
Behind the whole lot we do at BrainKey is that this drive to assist individuals keep away from the type of uncertainty and ache my household went by means of. We need to make mind well being extra accessible, comprehensible, and actionable.
— Owen Phillips, Stanford-trained neuroscientist
Constructing accountable AI that detects patterns others overlook
The “key” to BrainKey is its use of superior AI to analyze MRI scans and detect refined adjustments within the mind—usually earlier than signs seem. How? By using fashions that are educated on an unlimited normative dataset collected from clinics world wide. These large datasets permit BrainKey expertise to estimate “mind age” and establish early indicators of neurological decline.
However BrainKey doesn’t cease at evaluation. They’ve constructed a three-dimensional visualization interface that additionally permits sufferers to discover their very own mind scans in an intuitive, user-friendly format. This give attention to consumer expertise—paired with scientific rigor—is what units BrainKey aside.
We’re not simply constructing instruments for medical doctors. We’re constructing instruments that assist households perceive what’s taking place to their family members.
—Nathan Robust, CTO of BrainKey
Scaling with Azure: A platform constructed for precision, efficiency, and privateness
To help their rising consumer base and data-intensive workloads, BrainKey turned to Microsoft Azure. Their infrastructure makes use of Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) for scalable compute, Azure Blob Storage for safe information dealing with, and Terraform for versatile infrastructure administration.
We take care of bursty workloads—some hours are quiet; others are filled with evaluation. Azure’s autoscaling and heterogeneous node help have been essential for managing that effectively.
—Nathan Robust, CTO of BrainKey
Safety and compliance are additionally high priorities. BrainKey’s structure is absolutely HIPAA-compliant, with encrypted information at relaxation and in transit. To additional streamline the answer, BrainKey has built-in with Nuance PowerShare, a Microsoft-owned platform, to facilitate information sharing with healthcare suppliers.
Utilizing the Microsoft ecosystem to help innovation in healthcare
BrainKey’s journey with Microsoft started by means of the Microsoft for Startups Program in 2019, the place they acquired credit, technical help, and entry to a worldwide community.
The partnership has since deepened, with Microsoft’s Digital and Strategic Initiatives (DSI) workforce enjoying a pivotal position in optimizing BrainKey’s structure and exploring go-to-market alternatives.
The help from Microsoft has been phenomenal. From technical opinions to strategic introductions, they’ve helped us transfer sooner and smarter.
— Owen Phillips, Stanford-trained neuroscientist
BrainKey is now exploring easy methods to combine with Microsoft Azure Market, enabling healthcare suppliers to obtain their answer by means of present Microsoft channels. This opens the door to broader adoption and deeper collaboration with Microsoft’s healthcare account groups.
From clinics to Microsoft Azure: Supporting mind well being within the cloud
With a latest deal signed with one of many largest magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suppliers in the US, BrainKey is making ready to scale quickly. Their aim? To convey their AI-powered mind well being platform to clinics throughout the nation—and ultimately, the world.
We’re constructing the infrastructure now to help large development. Azure provides us the scalability we have to make this out there to everybody—not only a few. Quickly, we might be itemizing Brainkey within the Azure Market. This is a vital milestone for us, as it would make our expertise extra accessible to healthcare suppliers worldwide and allow seamless integration into present scientific workflows.
— Owen Phillips, Stanford-trained neuroscientist
As BrainKey continues to develop, their mission stays clear: to assist hundreds of thousands of individuals higher perceive their brains, obtain earlier diagnoses, and reside more healthy lives. And Microsoft helps make sure that expertise performs a transformative position in getting them there.
