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Joaquim Cardoso MSc
Chief Researcher & Editor of the Site
March 31, 2023
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
French AI biotech company Owkin has launched a €33 million project, PortrAIt, to develop AI-powered precision medicine for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
- The project, which has been backed by the French Government, will bring together leading research hospitals, Owkin, Tribun Health, and Cypath to develop at least 15 AI-driven tools to improve disease diagnosis, biomarker discovery, and outcome prediction in hospitals across France.
- PortrAIt will establish a platform for all stakeholders to collaborate, research, and develop new diagnostic tools, with the aim of deploying AI-based patient diagnostics in hospitals within four years.
- The project is part of France’s digital health strategy and is set to receive almost €15 million from France 2030.
DEEP DIVE
French AI biotech unicorn Owkin has launched a €33 million AI-powered precision medicine project for cancer diagnosis and treatment
TechEu
Fiona Alston
March 30, 2023
Paris-based AI biotech unicorn Owkin has launched a €33million AI-powered precision medicine project, PortrAIt which has been backed by the French Government.
The collaboration will see France’s best research hospitals working with Owkin and other tech companies to develop AI diagnostic tools to detect early and minuscule patterns in patients. It aims to radically improve disease diagnosis, biomarker discovery and outcome prediction in hospitals across the country.
PortrAIt will produce a platform for all parties to research, collaborate and develop a minimum of 15 AI-driven tools to enhance cancer diagnosis. They will then be tested and deployed in cancer centres and pathology labs across France. The five-year project aims to establish its platform within one year and deploy new AI-based patient diagnostics in hospitals within four years.
“This project will make it possible to better fight cancer by equipping healthcare professionals with innovative artificial intelligence tools. The aim is to help doctors make the best use of the information contained in histological slides to personalise treatments. This ambitious project brings together major players in the field, both public and private, to form a community of internationally recognised and complementary experts. Nearly 15 million euros from France 2030 have been allocated to this project. It is one of the most important funding projects in our so-called ‘digital health’ strategy,” says Roland Lescure, Deputy Minister for Industry in the French Government.
Gustave Roussy, Centre Léon Bérard, Unicancer and other cancer centres will work closely with Owkin, digital imaging company Tribun Health, and pathology diagnostics group Cypath on the project.
“Digital pathology-based precision medicine promises to transform the way we diagnose and treat diseases. It is enabling doctors to tailor treatment to the specific needs of their patients at an earlier stage, while democratising access to high-quality, personalised treatment,” says Meriem Sefta, Chief Diagnostics Officer at Owkin.
“PortrAIt will empower French hospitals to play a leading role in the development of the next generation of AI-powered diagnostic tools. Our aim is to make France the global leader in digital pathology-based precision medicine,” adds Sefta.
Originally published at https://tech.eu on March 30, 2023.
NAMES MENTIONED
- Owkin: Paris-based AI biotech unicorn
- French Government: Backer of the PortrAIt project
- Research Hospitals: The best research hospitals in France collaborating on the project
- Tribun Health: Digital imaging company working on the project
- Cypath: Pathology diagnostics group collaborating on the project
- Roland Lescure: Deputy Minister for Industry in the French Government
- Gustave Roussy: Cancer centre collaborating on the project
- Centre Léon Bérard: Cancer centre collaborating on the project
- Unicancer: Cancer centre collaborating on the project
- Meriem Sefta: Chief Diagnostics Officer at Owkin.
