AI-based electrocardiogram (ECG) technology developer AliveCor announced today that it has closed a $65 million Series E financing round. Mountain View, Calif.-based AliveCor plans to use proceeds from the financing round to accelerate the growth of its remote cardiology platform, both domestically and globally, according to a news release. AliveCor is augmenting its artificial intelligence-powered ECG with telehealth services and detection and condition management services. Omron, Khosla Ventures, WP Global Partners, Qualcomm Ventures and Bold Capital Partners, all existing investors, led the financing. AliveCor noted that its enhanced partnership with Omron in particular will position the company to include hypertension management within its service portfolio.

GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE) announced that it received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Ultra Edition package on Vivid cardivascular ultrasound systems. The Ultra Edition package on Vivid cardiovascular ultrasound systems includes new features that are based on artificial intelligence (AI) designed to enable clinicians to acquire faster, more repeatable exams on a consistent basis, according to a news release. Vivid Ultra Edition reduces exam time through up to 80% fewer clicks, 99% accuracy and less inter-operator variability, the company said. The AI features within the Vivid Ultra Edition includes automatic detection of the appropriate measurement of spectral Doppler images and relevant points in the image for deriving measurements of the left ventricle, along with view recognition for which standard 2D scan plane is acquired. Other features include HD color displays, FlexiLight for improving visualizations and a 4D TTE pediatric probe for 2D and 4D imaging in pediatric patients ranging from neonates to teenagers.

IBM (NYSE:IBM) plans to develop and apply machine learning techniques to years of research data in the hopes of identifying factors that trigger the onset of Type I diabetes in children, with the support of JDRF. Scientists at IBM are slated to assess three different data sets using machine learning algorithms to find patterns and factors that could one day help delay or prevent Type I diabetes. Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Delivery Business News.

A dermatologist uses a handheld microscope called a dermatoscope to examine skin lesions. Stanford University researchers think a new AI developed could potentially provide another layer of screening. Stanford University researchers say that they've trained a deep learning algorithm to identify skin cancer as well as dermatologists. The researchers pitted the artificial intelligence against 21 board-certified dermatologists when it came to diagnosing skin lesions. The deep convolutional neural network's performance was on par with the experts when it came to spotting the most common cancers--keratinocyte carcinomas versus benign seborrheic keratoses.

Big data and artificial intelligence will have the greatest impact in the health-tech industry in the year ahead, according to a survey released yesterday. The survey, performed by Silicon Valley Bank, polled 122 founders, execs and investors in health care technology companies about the biggest challenges, most promising technology and biggest growth sectors in the industry for the coming year. The most promising technology for the sector was utilization of big data, with 46% of of responders ranking it number 1, closely followed by artificial intelligence, with 35%. Consumer, patient and client adoption was the biggest challenge reported by polled individual for the industry, with 37% placing it at the top. Thirty four percent reported that regulation was the largest challenge for the sector.

Israeli machine-learning radiology firm Zebra Medical Vision said today it raised 12 million to support the development of imaging algorithms being designed for automatic reading and diagnosis of medical imaging data. The round was led by InterMountain Healthcare, and joined by existing investors, Zebra Medical Vision said. As part of its investment, InterMountain Healthcare plans to work with Zebra to accelerate its development. "We are privileged that 1 of the top healthcare systems in the U.S. has placed such confidence in our team and our platform. In an environment where computing power and machine learning frameworks are becoming a commodity, the ability to quickly and efficiently curate large quantities of data from a world class integrated healthcare provider can make the difference between simplistic tools and insights that can truly add clinical value and positively impact patient care," CEO Elad Benjamin said in a prepared statement.

IBM's (NYSE:IBM) famed Watson artificial intelligence platform will be put to use to help match cancer patients with clinical trials. The Armonk, N.Y.-based technology giant said Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Network will adopt the Watson technology for this purpose in a project set to begin this fall. Froedtert/MCW Cancer Network are among the 1st cancer programs nationally to use the technology, according to IBM. Doctors typically try to match patients to genetically ideal clinical trials that are also the most relevant in the development spectrum. This can be a long process on multiple levels, involving reviews by clinical coordinators who manually sort through patient records and conditions.