Alzheimer's Drugs Arrived Brain Scanners Didn't with Jannis Fischer
The Crux of Medtech · The Crux of Medtech
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Show Notes
Alzheimer's treatments finally exist but patients are waiting months for the brain scans they need to access them. In this episode, Jannis Fischer, CEO and co-founder of Positrigo, explains how his team built an ultra-compact brain PET scanner that fits inside a neurologist's office and cuts diagnostic timelines from months to days. From losing an investor the day before signing to FDA clearance and triple-digit patient volumes within weeks of launch, this is a founder story with real clinical stakes.
Key Topics
Why new Alzheimer's drugs have created a brain PET bottleneck
How Positrigo's NeuroLF scanner delivers diagnostic-quality imaging in a seated, 10–20 minute scan
The "land and expand" go-to-market strategy across US neurology offices
Navigating FDA clearance and CE mark on ~€15M in funding
Transitioning from R&D organisation to customer-centric commercial operation
Fundraising a $25–35M growth round to scale from proof of concept to exit-readiness
Related Insights
Roche, Eli Lilly and Biogen are running trials on preventive Alzheimer's intervention blood tests could pre-screen patients before symptoms appear
The reimbursement landscape for brain PET is already settled existing codes apply, making the economics a "no-brainer" for neurology practices
Decentralising imaging from hospital centres to specialist offices mirrors the broader US trend in point-of-care diagnostics
Strategic acquirers (Siemens, GE Healthcare) and radiopharmaceutical synergies make trade sale the most likely exit path
Core Challenges
Whole-body PET systems are overloaded with oncology and cardiology scans, leaving neurology patients waiting months for brain imaging a bottleneck that worsens as Alzheimer's drug adoption accelerates.
Positrigo's NeuroLF system addresses this by enabling in-office brain PET scans at the point of care, but scaling requires the right sales team, operational partners, and growth capital to move from 3 installations to a nationwide footprint.
🎧 Tune in now to hear how a particle physicist turned CEO is putting brain scanners where they belong next to the patients who need them most.
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