Sonic Incytes

Sonic Incytes Medical Corp. is a Canadian medical device company founded in 2017 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company develops and commercializes Velacur ONE (also referred to as VELACUR), an AI-guided ultrasound elastography system designed to bring advanced liver assessment to the point of care. The device provides quantitative liver stiffness and attenuation measurements, along with a Velacur-determined fat fraction (VDFF), in just minutes, helping clinicians detect and monitor chronic liver diseases such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). The company positions Velacur ONE as a non-invasive alternative that is clinically validated against both invasive and non-invasive gold standards, including magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), MRI-PDFF, and biopsy. Its AI Guidance features — including an Organ Guide that overlays color-coded B-mode imaging to help locate the liver, and a Wave Quality detector that automatically assesses shear wave presence — are intended to let operators with limited sonography experience obtain confident measurements. The S-WAVE technology and advanced probe are claimed to offer twice the measurement depth and thirty times the sample volume of transient elastography, with an external activation source similar to MRE that supports shear wave penetration even in patients with high BMI. Sonic Incytes targets a range of care settings, emphasizing ease of implementation, portability, and favorable economics. The company states that Velacur can deliver a positive return on investment in as little as a few months, citing low acquisition cost, short procedure time, and reimbursement rates that it says are three to four times higher than other non-imaging elastography methods. A comprehensive training program combining online learning and hands-on experience is designed to enable medical assistants and nurse practitioners to operate the device. The company operates with a leadership team that includes President and CEO Barry Allen, Chief Commercial Officer Paolo Jelmoni, and Chief Financial Officer Richard Rawnsley, supported by vice presidents, directors, clinical advisors, and a board of directors chaired by Natalie Dakers. Sonic Incytes describes itself as a team of clinicians, engineers, and innovators collaborating with healthcare providers, academic leaders, and life-science partners on a global mission to make precision liver imaging available to every clinician, everywhere.

Sonic Incytes Medical Corp. was founded in 2017 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. According to the company, it began as a small research initiative with the goal of making liver assessment faster, simpler, and more accurate. Over time it grew into a team of clinicians, engineers, and innovators developing Velacur ONE, an AI-guided ultrasound system intended to bring advanced liver imaging into everyday care. The company's core technology, branded VELACUR, was designed as a non-invasive test for liver stiffness, attenuation, and a Velacur-determined fat fraction (VDFF). Sonic Incytes developed AI Guidance features — an Organ Guide that overlays color-coded B-mode imaging to help identify the liver, and a Wave Quality detector that automatically assesses shear wave presence — to make measurements accessible to operators regardless of sonography experience. The system also incorporates S-WAVE technology and an advanced probe that the company says increase measurement depth and sample volume relative to transient elastography, with an external activation source similar to magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) to support shear wave penetration in patients with high BMI. As rates of fatty liver disease rose and new treatments for MASLD and MASH became available, Sonic Incytes positioned Velacur as a point-of-care imaging tool aligned with clinical guidelines. The company notes that 2023 guidelines from AASLD, ADA, AACE, and AGA advocate screening high-risk populations with a FIB-4 test followed by an ultrasound-based elastography method or ELF as a secondary screening tool. Sonic Incytes emphasizes the economic case for its device, stating that Velacur can provide a positive return on investment in as little as a few months through low acquisition cost and reimbursement rates it describes as three to four times higher than other non-imaging elastography methods. The company has continued to evolve its product line, introducing Velacur ONE with an improved interface and improved portability. It markets the device to providers with a comprehensive training program that combines online learning and hands-on experience, designed to enable medical assistants and nurse practitioners to operate the system confidently. Sonic Incytes describes its mission as making precision liver imaging available to every clinician, everywhere, and says it collaborates with healthcare providers, academic leaders, and life-science partners toward that goal.

• 2023

  AASLD, ADA, AACE, and AGA clinical guidelines advocate screening high-risk populations with FIB-4 followed by ultrasound-based elastography or ELF; Sonic Incytes aligns Velacur with these guidelines.

• 2017

  Sonic Incytes Medical Corp. founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

• Introduction of Velacur ONE with improved interface and improved portability.

Non-invasive, AI-guided point-of-care ultrasound elastography for chronic liver disease assessment, positioned as accurate, affordable, easy to implement, and economically favorable compared with alternative elastography solutions.

• Velacur ONE

  AI-guided point-of-care ultrasound elastography device measuring liver stiffness, attenuation, and Velacur-determined fat fraction (VDFF) for assessing MASLD and MASH.

• VELACUR

  Non-invasive ultrasound elastography system for liver stiffness, attenuation, and fat fraction, featuring AI Guidance, S-WAVE technology, and an advanced probe.

1. 1Velacur ONE™ | AI-Guided Liver Assessment at the Point of Caresonicincytes.com
2. 2About Sonic Incytes | AI Guided Liver Imaging Technologysonicincytes.com
3. 3Point of Care Ultrasound for Liver Diseasesonicincytes.com
4. 4AI-Guided Liver Elastography Technology | Velacur ONE™sonicincytes.com
5. 5Sonic Incytes (Canada) - Wikidatawikidata.org