- Campbell Arnold
- Mar 3
- 5 min read
“As imaging volumes continue to rise amid an accelerating shortage of radiologists worldwide, reengineering high-volume workflows… is becoming essential to sustaining access, efficiency and quality of care.”
— Dr. Howard Berger, President and CEO of RadNet
Welcome to Radiology Access! your biweekly newsletter on the people, research, and technology transforming global imaging access.
In this issue, we cover:
The Radiology AI Roundup: DeepHealth acquires Gleamer for $270 million
Unlocking Breast Screening at Ultra-Low Field
Positrigo Launches BrainPET Accelerator Program
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The Radiology AI Roundup
What RadNet/DeepHealth’s $270M acquisition of Gleamer signals about the imaging industry’s future.
Huge news in the Radiology AI space, RadNet’s DeepHealth will acquire Gleamer for almost $270 million USD in an all-cash transaction.
This deal isn’t just notable because of the price tag, it’s significant because of what it signals about the convergence of imaging providers and radiology AI. So what is DeepHealth after? Coverage. More modalities. More body parts. More countries. Two telling quotes from the article:
1. "Gleamer’s portfolio with DeepHealth’s clinical AI suites of solutions for breast, chest, neuro, prostate and thyroid creates a comprehensive portfolio unrivalled by any other radiology AI company"
2. "DeepHealth is now the worldwide leader in clinical AI solutions across MR, CT, X-ray, Mammography and Ultrasound modalities."
The strategy is clear, DeepHealth is expanding its AI portfolio across modalities and anatomy to build the most comprehensive clinical AI platform in radiology. Gleamer also give DeepHealth an established customer base in the European market. But here’s what makes it even more interesting, last year Gleamer also executed the exact same roll-up strategy! They acquired PIXYL and Caerus Medical to add MRI capabilities for brain and spine. This is a classic roll-up strategy, one frequently in other industries, and it's now playing out in radiology AI.
We’re also seeing similar moves by enterprising imaging providers elsewhere. Radiology Partners notably launched Mosaic Clinical Technologies last year and quickly acquired Cognita Imaging to expand into automated X-ray and CT report drafting.
For smaller radiology AI companies, this could be a very exciting moment. If your technology fills a strategic gap for a large player, unlocking a new modality or expanding into a domain like MSK, your acquisition probability just increased. Additionally, it may also provide incentive for smaller companies can merge, similar to Gleamer's acquisitions of PIXYL and Caerus Medical. If you can plug multiple gaps in a massive players portfolio, maybe you too can get a 9 figure pay out.
Bottom line: DeepHealth’s $270M acquisition of Gleamer signals that large enterprise groups are eager to expand their AI portfolio coverage, and they’re willing to pay for it.
Unlocking Breast Screening at Ultra-Low Field
A comfortable, radiation-free alternative that could make screening more accessible.
While breast cancer screening has been immensely successful, it remains underutilized. In the US, only ~2 in 3 women who should be screened actually are, and global rates are far lower. This leaves a massive gap in early detection that contributes to delayed diagnoses and avoidable deaths. Traditional mammography is essential, but comes with drawbacks: ionizing radiation, uncomfortable compression, and lower sensitivity. While there is a growing interest in using MRI for screening, especially for dense breasts, the gain in sensitivity is often outweighed by the increased costs and logistical challenges.
Against this backdrop, a new pilot study published in Scientific Reports shows early feasibility of ultra‑low-field MRI for breast imaging. This could unlock a comfortable, radiation-free screening tool that has a much lower price point than conventional MRI systems.
The study used a 6.5 mT research device to scan 14 women (11 healthy volunteers, two women with prior breast cancer, and one with a benign mass). Here are some key details:
Good anatomy visualization: Three breast radiologists could consistently identify fibroglandular tissue, breast outline, nipple‑areolar complex, and chest wall.
Post-surgical and lesion detection: There was clear visualization of post-surgical changes and a large benign cyst. Surgical clips did not produce significant artifacts.
Better patient experience: Exams were well-tolerated, with no contrast agents or breast compression needed.
Lower cost & scalable: The systems cost < 5 % of conventional MRI, require minimal infrastructure, and could dramatically increase access to breast imaging.
The findings demonstrate the technical feasibility of ultra-low-field breast imaging, an important first step toward broader breast screening. Its lower cost, lack of ionizing radiation, no breast compression, and simpler setup could make it a far more accessible option for patients worldwide. While still early and not a replacement for mammography, this work points to a promising path for a more comfortable, accessible, and potentially scalable screening approach.
Bottom line: New study demonstrates how ultra-low field MRI could unlock a comfortable, radiation-free, and more accessible option for breast cancer screening.
Positrigo Launches BrainPET Accelerator Program
Can they convince neurologists to make PET a part of their practice?
For decades, PET imaging has largely been confined to major hospitals and centralized imaging centers. But what if it could move directly into neurology clinics using lower-cost, brain-dedicated scanners? That’s the bet Positrigo is making with the launch of its US BrainPET Accelerator Program, built around the ultra-compact NeuroLF system. The goal is to enable neurology practices to install and operate dedicated brain PET at the point of care, bypassing traditional imaging operations.
The Accelerator Program goes beyond hardware. Positrigo is offering end-to-end support, including installation, radiotracer logistics, regulatory guidance, and workflow integration. This white-glove approach is designed to lower the barrier for community neurology practices that lack the imaging infrastructure and operational experience of large radiology departments. It’s reminiscent of Hyperfine’s recent push to market portable, low-field MRI directly to neurology clinics for imaging in office-based settings.
The broader signal is hard to ignore. Traditional radiology practices have been slow to adopt lower-cost, decentralized imaging technologies, and startups are increasingly pursuing alternative pathways that route around them. Whether a meaningful number of neurologists want to own a piece of the imaging stack, and whether moving complex imaging systems further outside the purview of radiologists is wise, remains to be seen. Regardless, as imaging hardware becomes smaller, cheaper, and more specialized, the central question is no longer just whether the technology works. It’s who controls it, who deploys it, and where imaging ultimately happens.
Bottom line: By pairing ultra-compact hardware with full-service support, Positrigo is betting they can bring brain PET directly into neurology clinics.
Feedback
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References
Disclaimer: There are no paid sponsors of this content. The opinions expressed are solely those of the newsletter authors, and do not necessarily reflect those of referenced works or companies.
