French AI biotech unicorn Owkin has launched a €33 million AI-powered precision medicine project for cancer diagnosis and treatment

The collaboration, PortrAIt, will see the best research hospitals in France working alongside tech firms to develop a minimum of 15 AI-driven tools to enhance cancer diagnosis
French AI biotech unicorn Owkin has launched a €33 million AI-powered precision medicine project for cancer diagnosis and treatment

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.

A close-up photograph of histopathology slides. Photo was taken at University Hospital Erlangen. Credit: Owkin.

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.

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