Predictive Health Intelligence’s groundbreaking product, hepatoSIGHT™, has received Class I medical device clearance from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), marking a significant achievement for liver disease detection. HepatoSIGHT is a revolutionary case-finding search engine that allows clinicians to identify individuals at risk for liver disease by systematically scanning historical blood records. With this clearance, hepatoSIGHT is now available for clinical use across the UK, offering millions of people the chance for earlier diagnosis and treatment.
Liver disease is a severe public health issue in the UK, claiming over 10,000 lives annually and ranking as the second leading cause of premature death in the country. Unlike most major non-communicable diseases, liver disease deaths are rising. One of the biggest challenges in managing liver disease is its late detection, as it often shows no symptoms until it has progressed to advanced stages. At this point, treatment options are limited, and the healthcare system faces a more significant burden due to complications such as liver cancer, liver failure, and the need for transplants.
Early Liver Disease Detection Through AI Technology
The hepatoSIGHT tool seeks to change the narrative by leveraging AI technology to identify patients at higher risk of liver disease before the disease advances too far. Developed in partnership with the NHS, this tool scans blood records to detect early signs of liver disease, allowing healthcare providers to intervene sooner. Its AI-powered algorithms automatically flag individuals at risk, providing clinicians with valuable insights that can lead to earlier interventions and potentially life-saving treatments. The tool’s focus on early detection could significantly reduce the number of late-stage liver disease cases, improving patient outcomes and reducing the burden on healthcare systems.
Dr. Tim Jobson, consultant NHS gastroenterologist and co-founder of Predictive Health Intelligence, highlighted the importance of this development: “HepatoSIGHT is the result of five years of hard work, driven by our desire to prevent late-stage diagnoses of liver disease. With the support of the MHRA, we can now offer this tool to clinicians across the UK, ensuring that more people have access to early detection and treatment.”
Expanding Access to Screening
The development and deployment of hepatoSIGHT have been supported by a grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which helped fund testing and development. The tool was initially trialed as part of a service improvement project with NHS Somerset Foundation Trust, where it successfully identified hundreds of individuals requiring further liver health investigation. As a result, dozens of these patients are now receiving treatment and monitoring to prevent their liver disease from worsening.
HepatoSIGHT’s recent MHRA clearance represents a significant step forward in the fight against liver disease, making early screening and diagnosis more accessible across the country. By expanding access to opportunistic screening, hepatoSIGHT is expected to prevent countless cases of late-stage liver disease, including conditions such as primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), viral hepatitis, and undiagnosed cirrhosis.
The clearance of hepatoSIGHT demonstrates the potential of innovative health technologies to transform the way diseases are detected and treated. As part of Predictive Health Intelligence’s mission to enhance early detection, the tool is poised to play a pivotal role in reducing the mortality rate associated with liver disease. By identifying at-risk individuals early, healthcare providers can intervene before the disease progresses to more critical stages, reducing the need for transplants and other intensive treatments.
Resource: Predictive Health Intelligence, August 20, 2024
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