AI Integrated Wearables for Gut Health Diagnosis: Olympus Innovation Ventures Invests in Alimetry

“Alimetry was designed to introduce clarity into a field that has involved lengthy, uncertain diagnostic journeys. It gives clinicians the tools they need to quickly and correctly diagnose patients so that we can move on from trial and error - and guesswork - into clarity of care and personalized medicine,” explains Alimetry CEO and Co-founder Dr. Greg O’Grady, who is also a Professor of Surgery at the University of Auckland.

How it works

Like the heart, the gut produces electrical current, but these are 100 times weaker than the heart. Alimetry’s highly sensitive wearable device detects these electrical currents from the skin’s surface (called Body Surface Gastric Mapping), similar to an ultra-high-resolution electrocardiogram (ECG). Recordings of these signals are taken while patients eat and digest a meal. At the same time, patients log their symptoms into an app. 

The device sends the patient's gastric electrophysiology to the cloud where advanced, AI-powered analysis is performed using smart algorithms based on thousands of diverse and representative test cases used to train and improve benchmarking. The resulting auto-generated Gastric Alimetry Report provides clinicians with objective, data-driven insights to inform their interpretation and aid the diagnosis and personalized treatment of gastric disorders.

Early uptake following regulatory approval

Alimetry’s device and platform have been cleared for clinical use in the U.S. since 2022 and adopted by over 40 hospitals and clinics worldwide as part of initial controlled release, according to the company.

With this round of funding, Alimetry looks to capitalize on increased adoption by a growing cohort of U.S. hospitals. This adoption is driven by Alimetry receiving its fourth U.S. regulatory clearance, the establishment of a CPT III reimbursement code, and the completion of over 30 clinical studies.