Volpara Acquires Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Company CRA Health, LLC.

New Zealand-based Volpara Health, a health technology software company whose integrated breast care platform assists in the delivery of personalized patient care, announces the acquisition of CRA Health, LLC, a breast cancer risk assessment company spinoff from Massachusetts General Hospital—a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital.

Volpara is paying $18 million to acquire all outstanding equity of CRA, with a further $4 million payable upon its meeting key performance targets over the next 18 months.

CRA Health has been focused on cancer risk assessment for more than 15 years and conducts more than 2 million assessments annually. CRA software is cloud-based and integrated into EHR systems. CRA receives patient information, including breast density, and returns the risk of breast cancer alongside appropriate recommendations, including whether additional imaging or genetics testing is needed according to established guidelines.

Importantly, CRA has electronic interfaces established with all the major genetics companies. Moreover, CRA Health and Volpara Health—both born out of scientific research at Harvard Medical School and Oxford University—have collaborated on major projects like the ongoing UK [Predicting the Risk of Cancer at Screening] project for personalized breast care.

For more than a decade, Volpara Science, a set of clinically validated algorithms that use AI to assess breast tissue composition and imaging quality, has helped more than 27% of all breast centers in the U.S. optimize mammography workflow and deliver personalized care. Company officials say combining the two companies will allow Volpara to identify and deliver personalized breast care to more high-risk women across all care settings—Ob-Gyns, primary care providers, oncology specialists, and breast centers.

Ralph Highnam, PhD, group CEO of Volpara, adds: “The acquisition of CRA is very significant for Volpara. CRA is a leading provider of risk assessment tools within major EHR systems and has integrations already established with the main genetics companies. CRA brings world-class knowledge about risk and genetics. CRA will accelerate us on our mission to save families from cancer by preventing advanced-stage breast cancer.”