Cosmo Pharmaceuticals aims to make the colonoscopy a little more up close and personal, for providers anyway, by connecting its artificial-intelligence-powered video module with Apple’s virtual reality headset.
Next month, the company plans to launch what it describes as a first-of-its-kind trial of its GI Genius system—currently marketed under a yearslong deal with Medtronic—that will be led by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
The plan is to employ the Apple Vision Pro headset for live viewing of colonoscopies to layer in AI highlights of possible disease within physicians’ fields of view so they do not have to look away while operating the endoscope.
“This is what the future of medicine looks like: real-time AI, embedded naturally into the physician’s workflow by blending digital content with the physical world,” Cosmo CEO Giovanni Di Napoli said in a statement.
Cleared by the FDA in 2021, the plug-in GI Genius has already shown it can help spot more potentially cancerous lesions and benign adenomas compared to a standard colonoscopy.
Now, Cosmo says the advent of the Apple Vision Pro’s high-resolution display, spatial computing and augmented reality can provide clinical visualizations never before seen in endoscopy, with a specifically designed version of the software that will run natively on the headset.
“What Cosmo has built by connecting the GI Genius module with Apple Vision Pro is extraordinary,” said study leader Irving Waxman, M.D., chief of Rush University’s Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition. “It has the potential to revolutionize how we practice—by giving us AI-powered insights exactly when and where we need them. This is not just an incremental improvement—it’s a complete reimagining of procedural medicine, and I’m proud that Rush is leading the way.”
The company said it plans to submit the technology to the FDA shortly after the conclusion of the usability study, which will include patients undergoing routine colorectal cancer screenings.
Meanwhile, in May, Cosmo reported that Endovision, a separate AI developer based in Hong Kong and India, had obtained a CE mark and MDR certification in the EU for its Cerebro program aimed at upper gastrointestinal tract procedures.
Cerebro provides real-time AI guidance for endoscopic exams of the esophagus, stomach and small intestine, including the identification of anatomical landmarks and potential quality issues. Cosmo said it plans to begin European distribution of Cerebro later this year through the GI Genius platform.