NOCISCAN is a SaaS platform that adds magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to standard lumbar MRI to noninvasively identify painful versus non‑painful spinal discs. It provides objective NOCI+/NOCI‑ scores and pain biomarker data, helping physicians pinpoint the source of low back pain and tailor treatment or surgical plans accordingly.
Funding
$14.4M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Conventional lumbar MRI provides structural detail but cannot reliably identify which spinal disc is the source of chronic low back pain, leading to uncertain diagnoses and suboptimal treatment decisions.
Solution
NOCISCAN adds magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to a standard lumbar MRI to generate objective pain biomarker data for each disc. The platform delivers clear NOCI⁺/NOCI⁻ scores that indicate whether a disc is painful, enabling physicians to differentiate painful from non‑painful discs without invasive discography. By integrating these biomarker results with existing imaging and clinical information, clinicians can personalize treatment and surgical plans, improving diagnostic confidence and patient outcomes.
Target Audience
Primary users are spine surgeons, interventional pain specialists, and radiologists who need precise disc‑level pain information to guide therapeutic and surgical decisions for patients with chronic low back pain.
Features
- Non‑invasive MRS acquisition performed during a routine lumbar MRI scan
- Automated analysis of disc‑specific pain biomarkers with individualized results per patient
- Simple, clinician‑friendly NOCI⁺/NOCI⁻ scoring system for each spinal disc
- Cloud‑based SaaS platform that stores, processes, and visualizes biomarker data alongside conventional MRI images
- Evidence‑supported methodology validated in peer‑reviewed studies for discogenic pain identification