Function Health Acquires Ezra, Launches $499 Full-Body MRI
As cancer rates rise among younger adults—especially women—Function Health’s acquisition of Ezra is set to bring fast, affordable full-body MRI scans into the mainstream of preventive care
Function Health, the celebrity and athlete-backed the personalized health platform known for its 160+ annual lab tests, has acquired New York-based AI imaging startup Ezra and is launching a full-body MRI that takes just 22 minutes.
The deal comes amid a rise in cancer diagnoses among people under 50—particularly women, who now face cancer incidence rates 82% higher than their male counterparts, up from 51% in 2002, according to the American Cancer Society.
While terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, a spokesperson confirmed to Athletech News that Ezra’s team is joining Function Health, where they’ll scale further to meet demand.
“I wish I could see millions of patients,” Function Health co-founder and chief medical officer Mark Hyman, MD, said. “This is the most powerful approach I’ve seen in my entire career—and for the first time, it can truly scale to millions. It’s the new standard of care—if you’re reading this: get your labs, get your scan every year. It could save and radically improve your life.”
The AI-powered MRI scan, $499, is designed to detect cancers as well as hidden conditions like silent strokes—which can lead to cognitive decline—as well as developing aneurysms. It can also spot spinal issues, early-stage fatty liver disease and provides body composition insights with greater precision than DEXA scans, according to Function Health.
“Adding imaging was part of our vision from day one,” Function Health co-founder and CEO Jonathan Swerdlin said. “Our brilliant team first focused on making comprehensive lab testing affordable and widely available. Now with Ezra becoming a part of Function, we complete the picture. It’s time everyone owns their health, every year. This is the best use of AI—applying it directly to human life.”
Function’s full-body scans are available at nearly 100 sites across the country for members, with a rollout planned to bring access to over 1,000 locations soon.
As Dan Sodickson, MD, PhD and Ezra’s chief scientific advisor notes, the MRI’s reduced cost and scan time present the chance to capture an annual imaging baseline.
“This longitudinal dataset reveals subtle changes over time that catch immediate issues and can predict disease before symptoms even appear,” Sodickson said. “This fundamentally transforms medicine.”
Ezra raised $21 million in new funding last February, bringing the healthcare startup’s total capital to $41 million.
“I started Ezra with a clear mission: to detect cancer early for everyone in the world,” Ezra founder Emi Gal said. “This mission is deeply personal for me—if my mother had detected cancer early, she would still be alive today. Over the past six years, my team and I have helped countless people find cancer, many of whom are now cancer-free. We are now scaling this to millions together with Function.”
Last year, luxury lifestyle and fitness brand Equinox tapped Function to power its $3,000 per month longevity membership that uses Function’s biomarker testing to inform hyper-personalized training.
link
