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16_V1_WAT_Oct05 16 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • Th ursday, October 5, 2017 Serving your community since 1856 By Bob Vrbanac Chronicle Sta� A local medical technology company that has gone from looking at the stars to prevent- ing scars from unnecessary biopsies has been named one of the 20 most innovative technology companies by the Canadian Innovation Exchange. Elucid Labs, a medical startup using artificial intelligence found- ed by three University of Waterloo researchers, have developed a tech- nology that allows deep tissue scans without having to put the patient under the knife. Farnound Kazemzadeh, Alex Wong and Iman Khodadad have developed a small imaging device that allows for early detection of skin cancer without biopsies, revealing problem areas before they can be seen by doctors during the usual visual examination. Kazemzadeh, who once studied the stars as an astrophysicist before turning his expertise in optics and photonics into more worldly applica- tions, said its been a whirlwind year for the startup, which is getting ready to scale up and get its products into the hands of medical practitioners. "Being named one of the top-20 most innovative companies in the country is absolutely a great hon- our," he said. Especially with the companies that have been named to the pres- tigious list. Most of them have been around for a while and hadn't made such an immediate impression as Elucid Labs. "We were the only company that was less than an a year in operation," said Kazemzadeh. "It goes to prove the point that something innovative is happening here and we're on to something that could provide good health care in the country and help people around the world." Th e Elucid Labs team, which also won the pitch competition at the recent Waterloo Innovation Sum- mit, feel the revolutionary device has some deep resonance with everyone who experiences the technology. Th at's what has the team at Elucid most excited -- the potential to save lives and change the way that skins cancers are diagnosed. Wong, a Canada Research Chair in Medical Imaging Systems at UW, said the prevalence of skin cancer is on the rise and they developed something that can stem that tide. "Skin cancer is on the rise world- wide," said Wong. "The number of skin cancers worldwide are actually greater than the other most frequent cancers combined. "Many of those cases are hard to catch, because a lot of people have a lot of moles and its hard to identify if something is going wrong. Right now we feel the number of people who are suff ering from this disease might be even higher." The usual way to determine if a mole or a basal cell is cancerous is to note the changes and the asymme- try of the area. If there is bleeding or oozing, that can be another indica- tion. "It is one of the most readily treat- able forms of cancer, especially early on," said Wong. "Usually its just about cutting it out and that's it." The doctor will then surgically remove the mole or the basal cell and send it for a biopsy. Th at process takes a while until the patient gets their results and can lead to some consternation until the results are in. "Th ey will be able to do this faster with less surgeries and be able to see more people," said Wong. "It's a win- win for everybody." Later-stage skin cancer, especial- ly melanoma, can be deadly which makes early diagnosis essential. "We want to provide the optimal diag- nosis in a way a doctor can really understand the results," said Wong "Our goal was to use our research to identify them very early so that they can be dealt with and there is pretty much no side effects," said Wong. "That's what has motivated us -- we like to do great fundamen- tal research and take these great big ideas and execute them and turn them into a tangible, commercial- ized form that can eff ect the world." The key is to get something that not only works but that people can trust, and Wong said they are work- ing closely with doctors and clini- cians to make sure it meets their needs. "It's when you can take research from these different perspectives that you get something that not only works but that people can trust," said Wong. "Th ere is a lot of talk about AI in medicine and one of the biggest barriers in my opinion is the level of trust you can have in it. "Doctors might be hesitant to listen to something that just tells them what the answers are without explaining. What we're trying to do is build an unique, integrated system that provides all the information to the doctor that will aid in their deci- sions. "At the end of the day, the doctor makes the decision what to do." Kazemzadeh, a serial entrepre- neur, said Elucid is ready to make a splash in both the community and in the market. "We think we can be the provider for medial assistance to all aspects of medicine," he said. Making a splash Elucid Labs continues to garner attention as it brings its game-changing AI device to market BUSINESS WATERLOO CHRONICLEWATERLOO CHRONICLEWATERLOO CHRONICLEWATERLOO CHRONICLEWATERLOO CHRONICLE SUBMITTED PHOTO Iman Khodadad, Alex Wong and Farnoud Kazemzadeh are the founding members of Euclid Labs which was recently named one of the 20 most innovative technology companies by the Canadian Innovation Exchange. 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