NICO, a medical device company, has collaborated with Viz.ai to embed Viz.ai’s clinical trial recruitment software into the ENRICH study that is investigating the treatment of intracerebral hemorrhages (ICH).
Image: NICO selects Viz.ai’s solution for patient recruitment in the study. Photo: Courtesy of Ilya Pavlov/Unsplash.
According to Viz.ai, the present standard care for ICH includes medical management of the patient, or a ‘watch and see’ protocol that allows blood that is pooled from the ruptured vessel to remain in the brain.
The ENRICH study is set to evaluate the efficacy and safety of early surgical evacuation (less than 24 hours) using a parafascicular (parallel to the brain’s fiber tracts) and transsulcal (through natural openings and folds of the brain) surgical approach.
The surgical evacuation’s goal is to maximize clot removal, achieve durable hemostasis and improve the functionality of the patient.
ENRICH is a multi-center trial, being supported by NICO and will be led by the Emory Stroke Center of Emory University hospitals and the Marcus Stroke & Neuroscience Center of Grady Memorial Hospital, both in Atlanta.
Patients for this study will be supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage patients with a potential chance of benefiting from surgical treatment based on well-defined criteria for study enrollment.
Viz stated that it will use its artificial intelligence system, RECRUIT, to identify potential subjects for clinical trials. In ENRICH (Early MiNimally-invasive Removal of ICH), Viz RECRUIT will notify investigators immediately when a patient meets the eligibility criteria for enrollment.
Emory University neurosurgery assistant professor and Grady Memorial Hospital neurosurgery chief Gustavo Pradilla said: “Automated detection and notification of suspected ICH patients using artificial intelligence has the potential to significantly speed ENRICH trial enrollment.
“Viz’s AI technology allows investigators to identify more trial eligible candidates and therefore potentially shorten clinical trials.”
NICO president and CEO Jim Pearson said: “With the added value that Viz.ai is bringing to ENRICH with its award-winning imaging and workflow software, the trial can potentially be shortened through faster enrollment and provide a reduced time to randomization.
“All this translates into being able to more quickly offer patients validated clinical trial outcomes as we work toward new ICH treatment protocols for this most deadly and debilitating form of stroke.”
Viz.ai CEO and neurosurgeon Chris Mansi said: “The ENRICH trial and NICO technologies can potentially transform the way that ICH is treated and change treatment guidelines.
“Pradilla and NICO are visionaries who are committed to significantly improving the lives of ICH patients.”