Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation Receives $3 Million NCI Grant to Develop Portable Self-Reading Ultrasound for Triage of Palpable Breast Lumps

ENCINO, Calif., Oct. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women, especially young women, in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The National Cancer Institute has awarded a $3 million grant to Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation to continue development of a technology aimed at addressing this serious issue for women's health. The three-year UH3 Phase II exploratory cooperative agreement will support work to further test a computer assisted diagnosis triage (CAD_t) software product that can triage palpable breast lumps and identify those that are suspicious. This technology, when used in conjunction with handheld ultrasound units by local health aides, will quickly determine which lumps are benign and those which might be malignant and should be biopsied. The $3 million Phase II award comes after a successful $1 million Phase I for an award total of $4 million.

The CAD development and clinical validation are being performed in close collaboration between Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and ClearView Diagnostics. The team is led by Susan Love, MD, MBA, chief visionary officer of the Foundation and principal investigator on the grant, Christine Podilchuk, PhD, CEO of Clearview Diagnostics, and Richard Mammone, PhD, Founder of Clearview Diagnostics. Also collaborating on the grant is breast imaging radiologist and clinical trial expert Wendie Berg, MD, PhD (University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC).

"While screening has been the focus in western countries, in developing countries breast cancer most commonly presents as a palpable lump in women younger than 50 years old," said Dr. Love. "The most common types of palpable breast lumps in young women are distinguishable on ultrasound and fewer than 25% are cancer." During the first phase of the NIH-funded study, the CAD system demonstrated that it could have potentially reduced the number of benign lesions that were biopsied by around 50%. A pilot study in Mexico demonstrated that health care workers without imaging training could acquire images equivalent to those obtained by a trained radiologist and that the CAD was able to distinguish between cancers and benign lesions.

The UH3 grant will be used to apply what was learned during Phase I to the LMIC environment in Mexico.

"Breast lumps are common and scary for most women. We are excited to have the opportunity to create a cost effective solution for determining which ones need further investigation," said Heather Cooper Ortner, chief executive officer of Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. "This project is an example of the innovative research we focus on, bringing together the expertise needed to improve healthcare for women around the world."

Research reported in this press release is supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UH3CA189966. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

About Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation

Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation challenges the status quo to achieve a future without breast cancer and improve the lives of people impacted by it now through education and advocacy. We drive collaborative cutting-edge research on cause and prevention with nontraditional partners, bring to light the collateral damage of treatment and seek ways to diminish it, and interpret science to empower patients.

We drive progress by being fast, flexible, and project-based. We actively engage the public in our scientific research to ensure that it produces accurate and meaningful results.

Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation has received a 4-star Charity Navigator rating for four consecutive years, putting it in the top 12% of rated charities in terms of fiscal performance, accountability, and transparency. The Foundation is also a GuideStar Exchange Silver Level participant and a member of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance.

Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, and its more than 378,000 volunteers nationwide, invite you to become part of a movement to engage the public in breast cancer research with the goal of eradicating the disease once and for all. To learn more and show your support, visit www.drsusanloveresearch.org.

About ClearView Diagnostics Inc.

Clearview Diagnostics is dedicated to advancing healthcare through innovative artificial intelligence (AI) technology.  The company's state-of-the-art machine learning technology is designed to assist healthcare professionals in disease diagnosis in order to improve patient outcome, reduce overall healthcare costs and make medical image diagnosis accessible worldwide. Clearview's initial focus is on breast cancer diagnosis and the company plans to expand its AI platform to other diseases and imaging modalities. Clearview Diagnostics is headquartered in Piscataway, NJ.

For more information, visit www.clearviewdiagnosticsinc.com.

SOURCE Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation

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