HARTFORD–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that Hyperfine, Inc., based in Guilford, has been named November’s “Innovator of the Month.” Founded in 2014, Hyperfine’s mission is to improve access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) through its first commercial product, the Swoop Portable MR Imaging System. As the first FDA-approved portable MRI, Swoop can be wheeled directly to the patient’s bedside, plugged into a standard electrical wall outlet, and controlled by an iPad. While current MRI systems have limitations due to size, fixed location, cost, and staff training requirement, Swoop is an easy-to-use, portable, and affordable system that can expand patient access to life-saving care.

“MRIs provide critical – often life-saving – information about a patient’s potential diagnosis. Hyperfine’s portable MRI system cuts health care costs for patients and providers, expands access, and saves lives, especially in under-resourced communities. I’m proud to recognize their innovative work, and look forward to seeing all they accomplish,” said Murphy.

“Hyperfine aims to democratize healthcare for people around the world, creating solutions that allow clinicians to diagnose and treat earlier, monitor more effectively, and ultimately save lives,” said Hyperfine’s President and CEO, Dave Scott. “It is an honor to be recognized by Senator Murphy and the great state of Connecticut as we continue to build upon our diagnostic imaging capabilities and expand across the digital health ecosystem.”

Hyperfine recently announced it received FDA 510(k) clearance for its new advanced image reconstruction technology using deep learning to deliver clear images within minutes. Hyperfine also received a $3.3 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to assess the clinical feasibility of using the Swoop to provide immediate point-of-care (POC) brain imaging to young children between the ages of 0-24 months in developing, low resource countries. Through this grant, 25 Swoop systems are in the process of being deployed across BMGF research and clinical study sites in Europe, Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Murphy believes entrepreneurship and innovation are the building blocks for a strong economy. In the U.S. Senate, he has introduced two bipartisan pieces of legislation to incentivize angel investors to put more money into startup companies—the Angel Tax Credit Act and the Helping Angels Lead Our Startups (HALOS) Act. Startup companies create an average of 2 million jobs each year.

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