Startupbootcamp: How Machine Learning and Mathematical Models are Shaping Digital Health

Digital Health is being revolutionized by Mathematical Models, Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). This makes it quicker and easier for therapists and possible for everyday people to interpret complex medical data. The Research and Development (R&D) in MedTech and Pharma companies can often lack information regarding body fluid systems. AI and ML can be used to help identify, predict and prevent disease before it happens. To do this, the Digital Health Industry is focused on developing and using Software as a Technology and as a Service. We would like to introduce you to two startups who are doing just that.

COMPUTATIONAL LIFE

A Digital Avatar to design medical solutions.

This Italian team is working hard to change the Digital Health and Medical industry for the better. Computational Life has brought to life a digital avatar. It simulates and analyses bodily fluids of the human and animal system. The current cost for a single drug to be developed is over US$2.6 billion, it takes 10–15 years for it to go to market and over 100 million animal lives are lost.

The team consists of Carlo Rivis (CEO) who brings over 10 years experience in driving entrepreneurial innovation, Christian Contarino (CTO) and Davide Chieco (CSO) who have a Ph.D. and MS (respectively) in Cardiovascular Mathematics from the University of Trento, under the supervision of Prof. Eleuterio F. Toro.

Luckily, there has been a shift in the medical industry. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is encouraging medical companies to look for alternative methods to eliminate animal testing in all phases of product development and manufacturing. Computational Life has developed a technology that combines the best of mathematics and medicine. The software analyses pathological scenarios, simulates medical solutions, quantifies side effects and optimizes devices for medical companies. The Digital Avatar will help to reduce healthcare costs, cure more disease and lead to more medical discoveries. As a result it reduces pre-clinical research phases, the treatment becomes more efficient and more targeted.

To date, Computational Life has validated the mathematical in-vivo model with mice and humans. This has not gone unnoticed, Computational Life’s unique brain fluid analysis system has received awards from International Scientific Conferences and attracted the attention of the International Neurovascular Scientific Community. During their time at Startupbootcamp, they aim to connect and network with digital health experts to move forward with the Digital Avatar. The end goal for Computational Life is to eliminate animal and human testing in medicine.

ai4medicine

Providing an AI-based service platform for personalized prevention and treatment of stroke.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability around the world. How so? Current prevention and treatment strategies do not consider the individual characteristics of patients enough. ai4medicine have identified the gap and will use data-driven AI-based approaches to prevent and treat stroke on a personalized level. For treatment, ai4medicine will provide the doctors in hospitals with a clinical decision support system (CDSS) to choose an optimal therapy. The prevention solution will empower patients to reduce their individual risk of stroke. It will be prescribed to the patient by the doctor as a mobile interaction solution between them. This will encourage patients to change their behavior to prevent stroke.

The Berlin-based team behind the venture is led by Dietmar Frey (CEO, MD, JD), Michelle Livne (CTO, Ph.D.) and Vince Madai (CSO, MD, Ph.D.). An interdisciplinary team of medical doctors, machine-learning engineers, scientists and developers co-founding the company out of the largest medical hospital in Europe: Charité — Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Behind them is a team of researchers who are working hard to create ai4medicine.

ai4medicine uses state-of-the-art processing tools and algorithms, amongst them neural nets (a learning system modeled loosely on the nervous system) to translate data into solutions. Software developers are responsible for the implementation of easy-to-use applications. To date, ai4medicine has secured more than €2.7m in grant funds for the development of the support system. During Startupbootcamp ai4medicine seeks to strengthen contacts with healthcare systems, investors and insurers in various markets. The long-term plan is to use the ai4medicine technology to save lives!

ai4medicne will be battling for the digital health award at the ‘ Digitalgipfel ‘ of Berlin which is sponsored by the Berlin Senate on November 21. We wish them good luck!

We are excited to hear the team's pitch and to celebrate the progress the startups have made over the three-month journey at our Demo Day on November 27.

Startupbootcamp Team 🙂

Originally published at https://www.startupbootcamp.org on November 16, 2018.