Perimeter and Intermountain Health Unite to Explore Enhanced Cancer Treatment Through OCT and AI Technologies

Perimeter and Intermountain Health Join Forces to Assess the Impact of OCT and AI in Cancer Care

In an innovative collaboration, Perimeter Medical Imaging AI, Inc. has officially teamed up with Intermountain Health, a leading nonprofit health system based in Salt Lake City, to investigate the clinical, social, and economic impacts of utilizing Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and artificial intelligence (AI) in the fight against cancer. Launched on May 23, 2025, this partnership aims to explore ways to lower cancer reoperation rates while enhancing patient care.

The Development Support Agreement (DSA) marks a significant step for both organizations, allowing them to conduct studies that evaluate the value of Perimeter’s cutting-edge OCT technology. Perimeter’s proprietary wide-field OCT system is designed for interoperative margin assessment, facilitating real-time visualization of excised tissues. Intermountain Health's robust network encompasses 33 hospitals and approximately 400 clinics across six states, providing an ideal setting for clinical studies.

Dr. Teresa Reading, medical director of breast surgery at Intermountain, expresses enthusiasm about the prospects of this partnership. She highlights that the incorporation of innovative technologies such as Perimeter's OCT could revolutionize surgical oncology outcomes while promoting effective healthcare delivery. The first study aims to conduct a retrospective analysis on the rates of reoperation and the additional healthcare costs for patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery (BCS) at select hospital sites.

Adrian Mendes, CEO of Perimeter, added that Intermountain Health's integrated system could provide invaluable insights into the overall financial implications of cancer reoperations, benefiting not just patients but also payers involved in their care. Mendes expressed excitement over the partnership, emphasizing that it could influence Perimeter's strategies for market access as they advance the development of their next-generation, AI-enhanced OCT systems through the FDA's Premarket Approval (PMA) process.

The collaboration intends to further evaluate the benefits of the Perimeter B-Series OCT coupled with ImgAssist AI, a next-gen imaging tool recently validated in a pivotal clinical trial backed by a significant grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

Perimeter's technology is driven to address the unmet needs in cancer surgery, particularly through ultra-high-resolution imaging, providing surgeons with the ability to view excised tissues at a cellular level. This technology is not just about offering imaging but is about improving the patient experience while reducing the potential for reoperation rates – a critical goal in oncology surgery.

Intermountain Health, known for its commitment to community health and high-quality outcomes, is well-positioned to assist in the research and development of solutions that could lead to substantial economic savings and improved healthcare delivery models. With over 4,600 employed health providers and additional services through its health plans division, the health system aims to enhance health outcomes in the communities it serves.

As cancer remains one of the most pressing health challenges, partnerships like this underline the importance of technological innovation in healthcare. By merging the capabilities of OCT with the predictive power of AI, Perimeter and Intermountain Health are laying the groundwork for a future where surgical procedures can be more efficient and effective.

Overall, this initiative not only aims to transform the landscape of cancer treatment but also intends to provide a replicable model for other healthcare systems looking to embrace similar technological advancements in their practices. The future of surgical oncology could very well depend on collaborations that fuse advanced technology with healthcare services that prioritize patient outcomes, and this partnership seeks to be at the forefront of that change.