MedTech | Alexandre Parpaleix (co-founder of Milvue) : ” Thanks to our technology that uses AI, we help emergency physicians and simplify the work of radiologists “

Milvue, the young French start-up, introduces us to its Milvue Suite solution for the daily life of caregivers: the first Artificial Intelligence software for radiological diagnostic assistance developed by Machine Learning engineers and expert radiologists. Exclusive interview with Alexandre Parpaleix, radiologist and co-founder of Milvue.

What is the principle of Milvue?

Milvue is a French MedTech whose mission is to modernize the healthcare offer by democratizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare and integrating it into the daily work tools of caregivers.

The first solution developed by Milvue is called SmartUrgences®. It is an aid to the sorting and diagnosis of bone and chest X-rays in emergency services, certified as a CE IIa Medical Device.

The X-rays taken are automatically processed by our algorithms, and the physician in charge of the examination receives real-time information on the priority of the examination to be interpreted, as well as a structured and documented report on the examination.

The final medical conclusion is always that of the doctor who, augmented by Milvue AI, will be able to detect finer and/or more complex lesions more quickly. In our latest study currently being published, we have demonstrated that SmartUrgences® can avoid up to 86% of diagnostic errors.

‍The immediacy and reliability of the AI response allows for faster and safer diagnosis, and less time spent waiting in the emergency room for patients.

In a similar logic of workflow and quality improvement, Milvue has developed SmartXpert® which automates 100% of the measurements in osteoarticular radiology. Taking measurements, which is very useful in orthopedics, is time consuming and shows a great variability between operators. SmartXpert® meets this need in a few seconds and ensures better reproducibility of measurements.

These two modules are part of the Milvue Suite with a constant philosophy: scientific excellence, reliability of the proposed diagnosis, complete automation of the process and integration with the work tools of the doctors. Currently limited to conventional radiography, Milvue Suite should soon offer the first modules for CT and MRI.

Indeed, our DNA is to constantly innovate and to put the best of Deep Learning research in the hands of doctors through reliable, useful and accessible tools that facilitate their work and allow efficiency gains.

How was this idea born?

The fact is simple: the demand for urgent care and the number of radiology examinations are increasing, without a proportional increase in the number of radiologists. The radiology activity is already under pressure. As a result, 80% of emergency radiography examinations are never reviewed by a radiologist, which leaves the emergency physician alone in making a diagnostic decision for which he or she has not been trained. This corresponds to approximately 8 million procedures and therefore patients per year in France.

The main idea of Milvue was born 3 years ago in the mind of Alexandre Parpaleix, radiologist and co-founder. While he was on duty in a public hospital, he had to interpret a stack of several dozen X-ray examinations, processed during the night by emergency physicians only.

He then asked himself two questions: Can AI help emergency physicians in real time? Can AI also simplify the work of the radiologist, by ensuring a triage function of the examinations?

He set to work with a group of polytechnicians passionate about AI, and supported by several radiologists. Milvue was born. Since then, the company has remained faithful to its guiding principle: scientific excellence and continuous innovation, in the service of effective treatment.

AI is not a fad. However, in order to be a long-term solution, it must address many major issues beyond simple diagnostic performance, such as cybersecurity and the impact on society and the environment

What are your short-term goals?

Following the fund raising in December 2021 from radiologists and investors specialized in health and artificial intelligence, four short term objectives have been set:

• The certification of Milvue Suite on the North American markets in view of their commercialization.
• The establishment of a subsidiary in North America.
• The reinforcement and the extension of the use cases treated by Milvue Suite, with the development of innovative solutions notably in CT and MRI, resulting from our R&D team which seeks every day to push back the state of the art in order to offer the best solutions to our customers. In 2022, we will devote a budget of 2M€ to develop these new algorithms.
• The strengthening of our sales and marketing team. We have a “Milvue inside” strategy with major partners in the world of imaging information systems and we are keen to accompany them even better in France and internationally.

Moreover, we are aware that the added value of AI lies in its mass use, which requires two conditions: perfect integration with the work tools of doctors and greater accessibility for all.

We will therefore continue to work to enable all structures, large or small, public or private, that need the contribution of AI, to have easy access to it.

What is the business model?

The business model must be aligned with the objective of AI, which is to increase the productivity of the actors who use it. To do this, it is necessary to respect several principles, and in particular the following two:

• The implementation of flat rates rather than a fee-for-service. In the logic of automating treatments and prioritizing flows, there is no question of the user asking himself the question of submitting to AI for each examination.
• Taking into account the real constraints of users and the health system, especially financial constraints. AI must be accessible to as many people as possible.
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These are the strong and unchanged commitments of the founders of Milvue to allow the democratization of this new technology that is AI which will profoundly and durably change the medical world, and in particular radiology. Indeed, AI is not a fad.

However, in order to be a long-term player, it must go beyond simple diagnostic performance and address a number of major issues such as cybersecurity and societal and environmental impact.

Although still a young startup, we have a duty to consider these future issues, and we are already anticipating them at Milvue.

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