While social distancing has forced healthcare conferences to go virtual, it hasn't stopped startups from raising money to fund their early development efforts. Here is a list of companies that have raised money this week. A company developing machine learning algorithms in diagnostics, Dascena said Thursday that it raised $50 million in a Series B round led by Frazier Healthcare Partners, with participation from Longitude Capital, existing investor Euclidean Capital and an undisclosed investor. The company plans to use the money to advance its suite of algorithms to inform patient care strategies and improve outcomes. In addition, Dascena announced Thursday the publication of a prospective study to evaluate the effect of its machine learning algorithm in predicting severe sepsis, in the journal BMJ Health & Care Informatics.

HeartVista, a pioneer in AI-assisted MRI solutions, announced the formation of its Medical and Scientific Advisory Board, including notable thought leaders from Stanford University and the University of Wisconsin. "The past year was an inflection point for HeartVista, which was full of significant milestones as we received FDA 510(k) clearance for our AI-assisted One Click Cardiac Package," said Itamar Kandel, CEO of HeartVista. "This year, we will continue to progress our MRI software platform and expand its use across additional radiology centers within the US and globally. Our Medical and Scientific Advisory Board will provide strategic direction to our leadership team, enabling us to continue advancing the MRI field." "Automated, AI-driven prescription, as pioneered by HeartVista will change the way we perform advanced MRI exams, by dramatically reducing exam time, standardizing acquisitions, reducing error and rework, and ultimately improve the patient experience," said Dr. Scott Reeder, Vice Chair of Research and Chief of MRI, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine.

Artificial intelligence (AI) was by far the hottest trend discussed in sessions and across the expo floor at the world's largest radiology conference, the 2018 Radiological Society Of North America (RSNA). At the meeting in late November, there was an explosion of AI and deep learning algorithms across the expo floor. How machine learning will impact medical imaging was the key takeaway from the opening session, where examples of how AI will alter medical imaging in the near future were highlighted. Here is an overview of the types of AI software being developed and a few examples from RSNA that are specific to cardiovascular imaging. Artificial intelligence has been a growing topic in past years at RSNA, but this year several companies showed products that recently gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) market clearance.