Ataraxis, a company founded by Jan Witowski in 2023, has developed an AI-powered diagnostic test called Ataraxis Breast, which 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, avoiding unnecessary chemotherapy for those who may not benefit from it. In a recent study, Ataraxis claimed that its test could be up to 30% more accurate than the current standard of care used in many hospitals today.
The company recently emerged from stealth mode with a $4 million seed round co-led by Giant Ventures and Obvious Ventures. Rohan Ganesh, a partner at Obvious Ventures, stated that AI technology gives healthcare systems the opportunity to tailor treatments more effectively than ever before. Ataraxis is at the forefront of this transformation, leveraging AI to enhance clinical decision-making. Ataraxis was founded by Witowski and chief science officer Krzysztof Geras, who bonded over their shared Polish background and passion for healthcare and AI technology.
Ataraxis partnered with several hospitals to train its AI models on historic images of tumors in over 4,500 breast cancer patients, taken over the course of their disease progression. By combining different prediction models and using the average of each model’s prediction, Ataraxis was able to increase accuracy while reducing the amount of data and compute power required. The company’s foundation model, Kestrel, was developed with the help of Yann LeCun, chief AI scientist for Meta, who also serves as an advisor at Ataraxis.
The test results of Ataraxis Breast were validated by analyzing historic early-stage images of some 3,500 patients, which the model had not been trained on. The results of the study, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, were published on the pre-print server Arxiv and found to be up to 30% more accurate than current lab tests. Ataraxis plans to conduct more studies to validate its model and expand its product line to include AI-powered insights for other cancers, with a goal of having its software used by doctors by early 2025.
Witowski emphasizes that Ataraxis’s mission is to provide information and answers for healthcare questions where there are currently no alternatives. The company aims to revolutionize cancer treatment by utilizing AI technology to improve clinical decision-making and avoid unnecessary treatments for patients. With its innovative approach and promising results, Ataraxis is poised to make a significant impact in the field of oncology and improve patient outcomes through personalized and effective treatments.
