Medical photo and information sharing app Figure 1 wants to become the "Instagram for doctors." Yesterday, the service released new updates that will allow users to create more robust profiles and interact with groups or medical institutions, according to TechCrunch.

Co-founder Dr. Joshua Landy explained how Figure 1 began: "Tens of thousands of times a day patient records and educational images are transferred from healthcare provider to healthcare provider. We were thinking of a way to try and preserve and protect that information in an archive that's searchable and useful."

The founders of the Toronto-based service make sure that the identities of patients are protected when doctors share photos or information using the app. The main purpose of the service is to create an avenue where doctors can share, follow, and discuss interesting medical cases among themselves. The newly released features give the service a better social networking function, the report detailed.

The iOS and Android app was launched in May 2013 by co-founders Landy, Richard Penner, and Gregory Levey, the report detailed. At present, 10% of medical students in the US are already using Figure 1, TechCrunch added.