The premises of a start-up which aims to conquer France and Europe are located in a small village of just over 200 inhabitants in Périgord Vert, Saint-Sulpice-de-Roumagnac, in Ribéracois, which like so many others, is in dire need of a dermatologist.
The figures are alarming. The Dordogne has only 11 of these specialists, including two who will soon retire and one on parental leave; nationally, 37% of those working today will be retired in 2029.
Breast cancer: optimized diagnosis and treatment using artificial intelligence
Breast cancer, with more than 60,000 new cases annually in France, is the main cancer in women, still responsible for around 12,000 deaths per year. “Radiology images, nuclear medicine, digital pathology and multi-omics data (genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics) make it possible to create models based on artificial intelligence tools. Thanks to the teams from the École des Mines de Paris and the Institut Curie, the Institut des Cancers des Femmes is positioning itself as a leading player in France in the use of AI for oncology,” declared recently Professor Anne Vincent-Salomon, pathologist and director of the Institute during a press conference.
Faced with this observation, Jennifer Gauthier and her partner Olivier Delwante launched SkinMed in February 2022. Their idea is to allow pharmacists to carry out an initial diagnosis of moles in order to unclog the offices of patients with benign lesions or, on the contrary, to detect risky situations. “We are also going to start working with doctors,” announces the president of SkinMed.
Color code
The company is in the process of recruiting eight or nine delegates responsible for canvassing professionals throughout France, and it moved into its first professional premises in mid-September. “We are one of the rare start-ups based on a viable economic model,” praises Jennifer Gauthier, according to whom SkinMed has been profitable since its beginnings.
The first pharmacy, in Poitiers, was equipped in December 2022; To date, there are 122 of them on the national territory, including 24 in the four corners of the Dordogne, except in the Hautefort sector, which remains to be conquered. How does the device work? Pharmacists rent from SkinMed, at an undisclosed price, a dermoscope (device consisting of an illuminated magnifying glass) and a telephone allowing them to take a photo of a mole.
The latter is immediately analyzed using an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm, Skinan, which gives an opinion in the form of a color code: green, orange or red. In all cases, the photos are analyzed by a dermatologist employed by SkinMed, based in the Ardennes.
Imminent merger
The patient, from whom a minimal financial contribution may be requested, receives a response within three days. “The AI is capable of detecting nine pathologies thanks to its database, which contains photos of benign and malignant lesions and which is enriched by each new photo taken,” explains Jennifer Gauthier.
However, the Skinan AI was not developed by SkinMed, which does not have a “data scientist” (or big data expert) in its ranks, but by Anapix medical, a company based in Bouches-du-Rhône. . For now. SkinMed and Anapix medical plan to merge by the end of the year or early 2025, announces Jennifer Gauthier. “We’ve been talking about it since March. Today, we are the exclusive distributor of their platform. By only forming one entity, we will achieve economies of scale. We will both win. »
Information on 05 33 83 60 18 or at [email protected].
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