Archos announces the creation of Poladerme, currently 40% owned by Medical Devices Venture1,a subsidiary of Archos whose objective is to develop a portfolio of stakes in the field of new health technologies.
The ambition of the startup Poladerme is to become a leader in spectropolarimetry combined with artificial intelligence and machine learning, applied to dermatology.
The company Poladerme, matured by Conectus, the Satt (Société d'accélération du transfert de technologies) of Strasbourg, is developing an innovative, fast and non-invasive diagnostic aid solution, based on an optical system and artificial intelligence algorithms to deeply analyze tissues and assess the state of health of the skin2.
A company born of research
In the ICube laboratory at the University of Strasbourg, France, Professors Jihad Zallat and Christian Heinrich have been conducting research on spectropolarimetry and image processing and analysis techniques for more than 10 years in the Trio and Images research teams. The biomedical field is the preferred application framework.
The two researchers collaborated closely with partners biologists, doctors and dermatology researchers, including strong interactions with Inserm and the dermatology department of the University Hospitals of Strasbourg. With a scientific relevance validated by publications and based on a clinical study3, and the achievement of a point of maturity to transfer this approach into a medical device, Medical Devices Venture participated in the creation of the company Poladerme to support it in the industrialization and commercialization of its solution.
Cutting-edge technology at the service of dermatology
The skin occupies a fundamental place in the health and well-being of body and mind. Indeed the skin, the largest organ of the body, is the revealer of many diseases and is prone to premature aging.
The dermatoscope, a skin analysis tool used today, is based on the magnifying glass, a technology that dates back to the 11th century.
Poladerme demonstrates that skin analysis will involve a new technology, namely spectropolarimetry and artificial intelligence algorithms. A source of significant improvement in the daily lives of healthcare professionals and patients, this new technology will allow, through its wide dissemination, a reduction in analysis times as well as a more objective reading, thus reducing the field left to interpretation, richer and deeper lesions.
Spectropolarimetry is a very promising modality for the detection and diagnosis of cancer. A contrast between healthy and diseased tissues has been found in a wide variety of human organs. Polarization is a powerful tool because it allows you to explore various aspects of tissue organization. It is sensitive to birefringent structures such as collagen and muscle fibers, myelin and keratin, as well as to disruptions in tissue structure via depolarization. Then, using global statistical models based on decision theory, the Poladerme system will propose a classification of the sample associated with a confidence level.
The Poladerme solution will be available in the first half of 2022.
1 It is stated that under the terms of an investment protocol concluded between Poladerme's partners on 9 September 2021, Medical Devices Venture will hold 53.3% of Poladerme's capital following a capital increase to be carried out by 31 December 2021 at the latest.
2 The technology developed by the researchers is granted to Poladerme by Satt Conectus under an exclusive licence.
3 Finalized clinical study scheduled for publication in early 2022
For more information:
www.archos.com
