What You Should Know:
– Function Health today announced the acquisition of Ezra to launch the first FDA-cleared, AI-powered Full Body MRI scan that cuts scan time from 60 minutes to 22 minutes and costs $499 instead of over $1,500.
– This dramatic reduction in both time and cost makes annual scanning possible for the first time ever, creating a comprehensive 360-degree view inside your body.
Driven by Vision: Democratizing Preventative Health
The missions of both Function Health and Ezra align in this new integrated offering. Emi Gal, founder of Ezra, started the company with the personal mission “to detect cancer early for everyone in the world,” driven by the loss of his mother. He notes that Ezra has already helped numerous people find cancer early and sees the partnership with Function as the way to “scale this to millions.” Jonathan Swerdlin echoes this, emphasizing, “It’s time everyone owns their health, every year. This is the best use of AI—applying it directly to human life.”
Beyond Early Cancer Detection: A New Standard of Care
While a primary goal of the enhanced MRI is to detect cancer early, often before symptoms arise, its capabilities extend further. The scans can uncover hidden issues like developing aneurysms before they rupture or evidence of silent strokes that might contribute to cognitive decline. Function is also offering additional scans targeting spinal issues impacting mobility, early-stage fatty liver disease, and providing body composition details more precise than traditional DEXA scans.
Dr. Mark Hyman, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Function Health, calls this integrated approach “the most powerful approach I’ve seen in my entire career” and believes it represents “the new standard of care.” He urges individuals, “get your labs, get your scan, every year. It could save and radically improve your life.”
A single health check provides limited insight. As Dr. Dan Sodickson, Chief Scientific Advisor of Ezra, explains, “A single health snapshot is like one frame from a movie—you miss the story.” The affordability and speed of the new AI-powered MRI unlock the potential for annual scanning, creating a longitudinal dataset for each individual. This year-over-year comparison allows for the detection of subtle changes that might indicate immediate issues or even help predict disease risk before symptoms manifest, fundamentally transforming reactive medicine into proactive health management.
Availability Across the Nation
Function Health members can access these new MRI scans immediately. The service is launching at nearly 100 locations across the US, with ambitious plans to expand to over 1,000 locations in the near future. This complements Function’s existing lab testing platform, which is already accessible nationwide through 2,200 Quest Diagnostics locations.
