Just about everyone knows someone whose life has been touched by breast cancer. It’s Arizona’s most common cancer diagnosis with more than 5,200 cases identified each year.
And no matter how much advocacy exists for mammograms as the key to early detection, it’s not perfect. Or foolproof.
But DeepLook Medical aims to change that with Visual Intelligence software created specifically to improve the accuracy of cancer detection by focusing on dense breast tissue, which affects 45% of women, and disproportionately affects Black, Asian, Hispanic and Native American women.
And with traditional mammograms missing up to 50% of cancers in dense breast tissue and 70% of cancers occurring in women with dense breast tissue, this technology is especially vital, explains DeepLook Medical CEO Marissa Fayer.
“Standard mammograms won’t be able to visualize in the most dense tissue,” Fayer says. “Cancer shows up white and so does dense breast tissue. It’s like looking for a cotton ball in a cloud.”
DL Precise is the first and only FDA-cleared visual intelligence platform in its category, strategically leveraging AI to enhance breast imaging analysis.
It is helping radiologists in the nation’s top medical centers, including Banner MD Anderson, Cleveland Clinic, and Geisinger Health, make earlier diagnoses with some of the 42 million mammograms that are done every year in the U.S.
Arizona’s supportive environment was a key reason the company moved its headquarters to Scottsdale in the spring of 2025.
This niche area of healthcare is one that Fayer is very comfortable in. An engineer, she is a longtime advocate for equity in women’s health who developed the 3D mammogram 15 years ago. She is also a founding member of the Women’s Health Network that is chaired by former First Lady Jill Biden, and is the founder of HERhealthEQ, a nonprofit delivering diagnostic equipment to underserved countries.
However, as a woman with dense breast tissue herself, DeepLook’s latest tool hits a very personal note.
“If you think about it, half the women you know have dense breast tissue so, yes, it is personal for many of us,” Fayer says.
Fayer and DeepLook were instrumental in advocating legislation that resulted in new FDA mandates that require women to receive breast density notifications. DeepLook’s software works in tandem to help ensure that women who are told they are high-risk will also be able to have any sign of cancer caught early.
“I love it when radiologists tell us, ‘I was able to visualize this so quickly that I didn't have to call my patient back.’ Or, ‘I was able to make a faster decision and be able to feel confident with what I was looking at,’” Fayer says. “When you find cancer early, it’s 99% survivable. That’s important.”
It is helping radiologists in the nation’s top medical centers, including Banner MD Anderson, Cleveland Clinic, and Geisinger Health, make earlier diagnoses with some of the 42 million mammograms that are done every year in the U.S.