Virtual colonoscopy
Level - UndergradYou have accepted a consulting contract to advise a venture capital firm that is considering investing in a start up company. This company is developing a virtual colonoscopy of the human abdomen from an x-ray CT scanner ( not part of their system). These CT slices are reconstructed into a 3D volume to visualize the human colon. The company’s plan is to market this noninvasive system as an alternative to existing invasive procedures of imaging the mucosal surface of the colon. Preliminary results from clinical trials seem to indicate that this technique can detect clinically significant polyps with a sensitivity similar to that of the fiber optic colonoscopy.
Your employer wants to know:
What must happen to ensure that this system becomes a marketable product?
What could prevent this system from being a marketable product?
What are the chances that within 5 years there will be a market for it?