Using artificial intelligence (AI) to aid in disease detection has been going on for some time now. However, recent investment trends in AI startups indicate these applications may soon be deployed earlier in clinical workflows.
One trend CB Insights analysts are watching is how AI is helping patients engage with health systems before the diagnostic process begins and to flag diseases earlier. The consultancy, which uses data, machine learning and algorithms to track startups, private companies and investment trends, highlights this and a couple other important AI developments to watch in its report Tech Trends to Watch in 2025.
1 | Keep an Eye on Symptom Trackers
Devices like Ubie, a free AI-enabled symptom tracker app, are gaining traction, notes Ellen Knapp, CB Insights senior intelligence analyst, in a webinar about the tech trends findings. The app, developed in Japan, allows consumers to ask questions on their smartphones about symptoms they are experiencing and to indicate the location of symptoms on an anatomical diagram.
The program is trained on medical data and uses conversational AI to respond to patients’ questions and input. The app is targeted toward the large number of people who otherwise might ignore symptoms that can lead to worse outcomes or become more serious without medical intervention, creating greater strain on the health care system, Knapp says.
Symptom tracker software usually is connected to infrastructure that can link patients to a local doctor or care center. Investors are paying more attention to this sector, Knapp explains, noting that there was a flurry of equity investment rounds in 2024, including an investment by Google Ventures in Ubie.
2 | Early Disease Detection Becomes More Affordable and Scalable
AI also is enabling earlier disease detection — sometimes before symptoms appear, Knapp says. AI-enabled testing/screening device solutions are helping disease management become more proactive across specialties to detect Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, depression, cancer, liver disease and more.
“One trend we’ve got our eye on is retinal scanning. Companies like RetiSpec and Mediwhale are using quick standard eye scans to detect cardiovascular, kidney and eye diseases as well as signs of neurodegeneration,” Knapp says in the webinar.
In the case of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, early detection is critical because now there are more therapeutics that can slow disease progression, even though there are none yet that can reverse loss of brain function. Early detection will become increasingly important as the nation’s 65-and-older population increases.
3 | Identifying At-risk Individuals
AI algorithms also are being used to analyze health data and identify high-risk patients proactively without direct testing. This has led to a number of startups focusing on identifying at-risk patients before symptoms appear and patients at higher risk of serious diseases – before those diseases become life-threatening.
Organizations like Mayo Clinic, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Bayer have invested in some of these companies. Mayo Clinic and Commure, a General Catalyst portfolio company, in 2021 led the Series A funding for Lucem Health, which enables providers to mine health data sources to proactively identify high-risk patients without direct testing.
AWS, meanwhile, selected ClosedLoop, which created a data science platform to drive improved clinical performance, for its Healthcare Accelerator for Health Equity. And Bayer has formed a digital health partnership with CareNostics, which develops AI solutions targeted toward identifying earlier opportunities for clinical interventions with chronic disease patients.
Although many of these startups are in their early stages, the problems they are trying to solve highlight the fact that AI excels in analyzing large datasets, making it well-suited toward identifying at-risk populations. And with some of the huge players in health care investing in this sector, the field bears watching, Knapp says.
“The field is large, but it’s not going away,” she says.
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