Ataraxis, an AI-powered diagnostic test company, has developed Ataraxis Breast, a test that can accurately assess whether a breast cancer is high risk or low risk. The test aims to give doctors insight into whether a patient needs aggressive treatment, helping to avoid unnecessary chemotherapy. In a recent study, Ataraxis claimed that its system could be up to 30% more accurate than the current standard of care used in many hospitals today. The company recently emerged from stealth with a $4 million seed round co-led by Giant Ventures and Obvious Ventures.
Ataraxis was founded in 2023 by CEO Jan Witowski and chief science officer Krzysztof Geras. The pair met while studying in New York, bonding over their Polish background and interest in medicine and AI. Ataraxis partnered with several hospitals to train models on historic images of tumors in over 4,500 breast cancer patients. By combining different prediction models and using techniques like self-supervised learning, Ataraxis was able to develop Ataraxis Breast with high accuracy using less data and compute.
The company validated the test results by analyzing historic early-stage images of 3,500 patients it had not been trained on. Ataraxis Breast assessed the risk of those patients, which was compared to the patient’s actual history. The results of the study, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, were found to be up to 30% more accurate than state-of-the-art lab tests. Ataraxis plans to do more studies to validate its model and also develop other AI-powered insights to help physicians treat breast cancer patients.
Ataraxis’s ultimate goal is to provide information and answers to questions in the healthcare industry where there were previously no alternatives. CEO Witowski expects the company’s software to start being used by doctors by early 2025. Ataraxis is at the forefront of using AI to enhance clinical decision-making in healthcare systems. The company’s innovative approach to developing diagnostic tests has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment by providing personalized and accurate insights to guide treatment decisions.
