“My original concept was geared to Earth science,” says Tilton, who was at first skeptical that his algorithm could enhance, say, mammography. “I never thought it would be used for medical imaging.”

Then he processed cell images and saw details not visible in unprocessed displays of those images. “The cell features stood out real clearly, and this made me realize that Bartron was onto to something.”

Bartron Medical Imaging, based out of Connecticut, has since developed the new MED-SEG system, which the FDA recently cleared for use by trained professionals to process images alongside other images, though stipulated that the system should not (at least yet) be used for primary image diagnosis.

Bartron, which first studied the software through Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office, licensed the patented technology in 2003 to create a system that would differentiate hard-to-see medical image details. It then began to work with doctors to analyze CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, etc.

“Trained professionals can use the MED-SEG system to separate two-dimensional images into digitally related sections or regions that, after colorization, can be individually labeled by the user,” says Bartron President and CEO Fitz Walker.

via CNET News