“The Quebec health sector is not designed to innovate,” he would repeatedly lament at Duty BioTwin founder Louis-Philippe Noël. Frustrated by the provincial government’s slow pace in testing his breast cancer detection technology, the Quebec entrepreneur moved to the United Arab Emirates, where his technology is attracting a whole different kind of interest.
BioTwin is expected to announce in the coming days an ambitious partnership with the most renowned hospital in the capital of the Emirates, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and its Fatima bint Mubarak oncology research center, as well as with… Microsoft. The American giant is also very present in Quebec, where it has its eye on the health sector, but that was not enough to keep BioTwin there.
In recent years, BioTwin has developed a digital twin and artificial intelligence application that, the company claims, can detect the presence of breast cancer in its patients with an 82% accuracy rate. The technology could also be used for other medical purposes, or simply to improve the overall health of the population.
“The digital twin is a concept invented by NASA in the 1960s for the aerospace industry,” explains Louis-Philippe Noël. “It has since been used to ensure the safety of aircraft. Wind turbines no longer break because they are virtualized. And now, we are starting to apply it to humans. From prevention to the detection of serious diseases, it is a clinical decision-making tool that could save health systems billions.”
“Our solution is at least as accurate as current screening methods. Except that for us, it takes a minute, it carries no risk and it costs very little: less than $5, compared to $150 for a mammogram.”
No one is a prophet…
Between 2018 and 2022, BioTwin raised $6.6 million in private and public funding. The governments of Canada and Quebec have themselves invested directly in the Quebec company.
Then… nothing. BioTwin’s technology, which was supposed to be tested by the Quebec network, has been stuck in a government study committee for two years. “The technology was developed 100% in Quebec, but we can’t get it to market here, whereas in the Emirates, it’s going very quickly. I have the support of the government, the hospitals, without any effort. I plan to raise $50 million here next fall.”
In Abu Dhabi, BioTwin joined the ranks of the Hub71 technology accelerator, from where the young company was able to get in touch with the management of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, a private hospital — and more specifically with the Dr Stephen Grobmyer, who heads the Fatima bint Mubarak Center, was attracted by the concept of digital twins applied to the fight against cancer.
“This is really a huge leap forward in breast cancer screening,” says Dr.r Grobmyer. “Using the digital twin will improve our ability to detect cancer very early in its development, which will help us save lives and improve the quality of life of our patients.”
The partnership is a pilot project in which BioTwin will create digital twins of patients at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Each twin is created from about a dozen blood samples from the person. The company analyzes tens of thousands of metabolites — small molecules involved in the functioning of cells in the human body — present in these samples. It can then run simulations with these digital twins to try to predict how they will evolve and whether they are likely to develop certain diseases. All of this is done by computer. Microsoft is also a partner in BioTwin’s pilot project in the United Arab Emirates.
In addition to screening for breast cancer, the Quebec company could provide other indicators on patients’ health to help them stay in better shape. This ranges from advice on their diet to observations on the quality of their sleep, including their stress level.
Billions of dollars at stake
Beyond cutting-edge medical applications, such as cancer screening, digital twins can help improve the overall health of patients, a promising area for this health technology. BioTwin also believes it can expand the scope of its technology to help detect other pathologies, such as Parkinson’s disease or clinical depression.
Like many other industries, healthcare is in the crosshairs of both startups and tech giants these days. Besides Microsoft, Nvidia is a lesser-known but very present player in this niche.
Digital twin applications are presented as one of the most promising digital health technologies. According to official projections, this market could explode in the coming years, reaching a value of 110 billion US dollars worldwide in five years.
Artificial intelligence, computer simulations and other emerging technologies also promise to make public health systems more efficient, as they often still operate with outdated tools, such as fax machines or certain X-ray machines that are expensive to use and not without risk to human health.