Sydney-based MedTech manufacturer, EMVision, creates portable brain scanners for rapid stroke diagnosis, aiming to accelerate diagnostic speed and accuracy in both rural and urban settings.
EMVision Medical Devices are developing portable, light-weight brain scanners designed to rapidly diagnose strokes and other time-sensitive medical emergencies.
The technology aims to reduce the inequality between rural and metropolitan stroke outcomes by bringing advanced neurodiagnostic capabilities directly to patients through lightweight, affordable neuroimaging devices.
Based in Macquarie Park, Sydney, the company manufactures emu, an in-hospital bedside scanner designed to improve the speed and accuracy of brain imaging.
Scott Kirkland, CEO of EMVision explained that the emu scanner can quickly and easily be brought to the patient’s bedside instead of moving a critically-ill or unstable stroke patient to a CT Machine or MRI.
“Our emu scanner offers advanced neurodiagnostic capabilities, perfect for rural emergency departments and wards,” he said.
“In settings where traditional tools like CT and MRI may be inaccessible and specialised operators are scarce, this capability is invaluable.
“Given the critical time sensitivity of stroke diagnosis, emu allows nurses to perform scans, with expert guidance via telehealth opening the door to earlier triage, transfer and treatment decisions — potentially making the difference between a life of disability and a full recovery.”
In addition to the bedside scanner, EMVision recently unveiled its First Responder prototype, a portable scanner, weighing about 10 kilograms.
“It’s designed for pre-hospital deployment, making it suitable for use by paramedics, emergency physicians in both road and air ambulance services,” said Kirkland.
Company History
EMVision was founded in 2017, originally spun out from the University of Queensland, where co-founders, Scott Kirkland and Ryan Laws, acquired the original patent portfolio from research led by Professor Stuart Crozier, EMVision’s Chief Scientific Officer, and Professor Amin Abbosh.
“The University of Queensland had prototypes for three different types of scanners: a torso scanner for assessing liver fat and scarring (fibrosis), a skin scanner for assessing and diagnosing potential melanomas, and a brain scanner for identifying potential bleeds or blockages in the brain,” said Kirkland.
“Our preliminary research led us to focus on the brain-scanner technology, due to the significant global health and economic burden of stroke.
“One in four adults will experience a stroke in their lifetime, and many of those result in some form of permanent disability.”
Now, with 36 staff members in NSW and Queensland, EMVision intends to lessen the burden of time sensitive emergencies that impact patients and their families.
In stroke care, the “golden hour” refers to the critical window immediately following stroke onset, during which, prompt medical treatment can improve patient outcomes.
“Bringing neurodiagnostic technology to the patient, rather than transporting the patient to a CT or MRI, can save crucial time,” said Kirkland.
“Approximately two million brain cells die every minute during a stroke. Faster diagnosis and treatment can lead to better outcomes. Every minute saved through accelerated treatment matters.”
The engineering
The emu bedside unit is a trolley-mounted system with an articulated arm connected to a helmet, which fits over the patient’s head.
The unit features Integrated antennas that surround the head and capture data from the scan.
The unit can be operated by medical staff with minimal training, enabling timely assessments of suspected stroke and stroke subtypes.
By utilising electromagnetic sensing and imaging technology, the device transmits low-energy radio waves from the ring of antennas.
As these waves pass through tissues, they create distinctive signatures indicative of healthy brain or brain pathology.
It is changes in the dielectric properties of brain tissue that provide these critical insights, and inform if a stroke is present or not, and if a stroke is present, whether it is a bleed (hemorrhagic stroke) or blockage (Ischaemic stroke).
The First Responder unit has a lighter miniaturised design and expanded antenna coverage, allowing complete cranial vault coverage in a single scan.
“One antenna emits a radio frequency signal, while the remaining antennas listen for the signal as it transmits, reflects, and scatters,” explained Kirkland.
“An AI model then analyses these interactions to assess the relative dielectric values of the tissue being imaged.”
Kirkland noted that the process is swift, with their emu device averaging a completed scan time of about five minutes in clinical studies.
Commercial pathway
EMVision has recently completed enrollment for a larger multi-site study involving hundreds of patients at Liverpool Hospital, Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Princess Alexandra Hospital, using the production equivalent emu device.
“We have reported very encouraging interim findings and are meeting our study objectives,” said Kirkland.
EMVision has also collaborated with the Australian Stroke Alliance, which is leading advancements in golden hour stroke care, including with their mobile stroke unit program in Melbourne.
“A mobile stroke unit (MSU) is a multimillion-dollar truck, equipped with a CT scanner and specialist team, that are deployed to treat suspected stroke patients at the scene, ideally within the critical first hour, to achieve excellent outcomes.
“We work closely with the Australian Stroke Alliance to ensure our solutions are clinically useful, can be suitable for broad use and to support our local rollout strategy.”
Kirkland explained that EMVision has already received interest from local and global prospective end users.
“The clinical enthusiasm for this technology is very strong so far, as it offers the potential for early stroke diagnosis in a point-of-care manner otherwise not widely available,” Kirkland added.
“We exhibited at the Radiological Society of North America conference in Chicago last November, one of the largest global imaging conferences.
“Our technology stands out because it is unique in its field, particularly compared to CT and MRI machines, which at their lightest, weigh around 500 kilograms.”
The company plans to enter key international markets, focusing initially on the United States, where they are pursuing FDA approval, as well as Australia and thereafter parts of Asia and Europe.
“Our bedside device will follow the FDA’s de novo pathway in the United States, signifying it as the first of its kind product,” said Kirkland.
“Under this pathway we run studies to demonstrate its safety and efficacy from first principles.
“Once emu is approved, it will serve as the predicate device for our new First- Responder model, accelerating its path to market.”
The first generation of the technology, the emu bedside iteration, is anticipated to hit the market next year and will be targeted for use in rural and regional emergency departments alongside ICUs and stroke wards in city centres.
The second generation, first responder system, has yet to have a confirmed release date but is expected to be available shortly after the emu device.
The EMVision supply chain
EMVisions plans to retain manufacturing locally and has established a pilot production line at Macquarie Park.
Under the current configuration, it is capable of building, testing, and releasing up to three of its emu devices per week.
“There are several reasons why we’re not pursuing markets with cheaper labour for manufacturing our product,” explained Kirkland.
“First, as a medical device, it requires the highest possible quality standards, and Australia has an excellent reputation in that regard.
“We believe there is a significant opportunity to continue to produce the device here and export it globally.”
While manufacturing locally, EMVision sources components from global and local suppliers.
The next steps
As EMVision Medical Devices pushes forward with its innovative brain scanning technology, the potential for transforming stroke diagnosis and treatment is immense.
By focusing on both its portable and bedside solutions, the company is poised to address critical gaps in rapid, accurate stroke assessment, whether in metropolitan hospitals or rural clinics.