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Clinical Trials and the Path to Commercialization
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Midjourney still has to take its new scanner through the clinical trial process so that its output can be used as a clinical diagnostic tool, but that process is well defined. And as there will be strong clinical benefit and no side effects from the 60-second scan, I expect the Midjourney Scanner to move quickly through the FDA process.
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That’s especially the case given the latest changes that have been made by the FDA to incorporate AI in its daily workflow, as well as the agency having provided the regulatory framework for the use of AI in health sciences. High-quality drug therapies and medical devices are already starting to move through the FDA faster than at any time in history.
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Midjourney plans to open a Midjourney Spa in San Francisco in late 2027, where people can go to get a full-body image and relax at the sauna, hot tub, or other services it will provide.
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Midjourney Spa | Source: Midjourney Medical
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It’s an interesting approach. I don’t expect that it will be approved by the FDA within the next twelve months, but it will produce high-resolution 3D body scans that could be interpreted by medical professionals.
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The whole purpose is to image regularly to catch any medical issues early, so individuals can be proactive about their health.
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This is the foundation of predictive and preventative medicine, something I am very passionate about, having discovered my own prostate cancer very early during a full-body MRI scan back in 2020. Discovering a medical condition early can be the difference between life and death. It’s empowering for the patient.
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Midjourney’s scanner would radically simplify full-body imaging, making it a simple, quick, cheap, and perhaps even pleasant experience, given the concept that Midjourney envisions, shown above.
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By 2028, Midjourney plans to commercialize its third-generation scanner, which will be manufactured with custom semiconductors. The image quality will be “night and day” compared to what the company is demonstrating today.
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And by 2031, the goal is to have 50,000 scanners around the world capable of producing 1 billion scans every month. This compares to somewhere between today’s 100-150 million MRI scans a year due to accessibility, cost, and discomfort for many.
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And imaging is only one application of this kind of device. I’m speculating, but I don’t see any reason that this technology couldn’t advance to treating cancer. Ultrasonic waves can be concentrated and precisely directed to heat up a tumor and cause the cancer cells to die.
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The Future of Predictive Medicine
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The healthcare industry has been so corrupt and so slow to innovate over the last few decades.
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There has been so much regulatory capture by large pharmaceutical companies pushing drugs and expensive therapies. And they largely control the medical licensing boards and medical schools, resulting in an environment where doctors’ hands are tied and they are restricted in what they can prescribe.
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This is why technology outsiders are delivering some of the largest breakthroughs in healthcare and life sciences.
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Google’s DeepMind solved the grand challenge of accurately predicting how hundreds of billions of proteins fold. AI is being used to accelerate drug development and optimize clinical trials
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And now, Midjourney, a generative AI company, has invented the Midjourney Scanner, which I believe will be regarded as the most significant imaging breakthrough in half a century.
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We need a whole lot more of this tech innovation in healthcare. The legacy players are largely decels as it is in their best financial interests. But of course, that’s completely the wrong mindset and produces the worst outcomes for patients.
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It’s time to accelerate. We need more Midjourney’s and Google DeepMind’s thinking outside the box to bring breakthrough technologies. With our radically new and improved FDA in the U.S., there couldn’t be a better time to do so.
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Incredibly, Midjourney is a private company that has been completely bootstrapped. It has had no external funding and is owned by its founder, David Holz. Midjourney was an early standout in this AI boom as it was early to reach profitability, and it has grown to about $500 million in revenue in 2025.
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It used its free cash flow generation from generative AI to invent the Midjourney Scanner. And apparently that is just the beginning. Midjourney Medical has six products in development, and the Scanner is only one of them.
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I can’t wait to see what comes next.
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Imaging and genetic sequencing are the two most critical steps to enabling a future of predictive medicine. Full genome sequencing has already dropped to around $200, and the Midjourney Scanner is the answer to cheap, high-resolution imaging.
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We have so much to look forward to,
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Jeff
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