A Girona project “improves” the quality of life of multiple sclerosis patients

by time news

Improving the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis, this is the goal of Tensor Medical, a spin-off of the Computer Vision and Robotics Research Institute (VICOROB) of the University of Girona and the Vall d’Hebron hospital in Barcelona. This project aims to transform the clinical procedure used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments supplied to patients with multiple sclerosis and it does so through artificial intelligence.

Currently, the most common process for evaluating the effectiveness of the treatment prescribed for each patient is the periodic analysis of the presence of inflammatory activity in the brain images obtained by magnetic resonance imaging. Nowadays this detection is carried out a doctor in a completely visual way, which significantly hinders the ability of doctors to detect when the disease is active and therefore to be able to ensure whether the treatment is working. A fact that has a direct impact on the therapeutic management and the quality of life of the patients. Tensor Medical, through software, helps professionals a detect injuries more accurately and so, reduce the margin of error during the disease monitoring process.

The entrepreneurs of this spin-off are two bathroomsin Sergi Valverde in a Roger Bramondoctors in artificial intelligence and medical imaging from the University of Girona, accompanied by four other professionals, including Dr. Àlex Rovira, head of Neuroradiology at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital.

Tests in six hospitals

The project started in July 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, and Tensor Medical is currently in the testing phase in sis hospitals of reference in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, such as the Trueta hospital in Girona, the Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona, ​​the Ramón y Cajal in Madrid or the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam. “The tests in these hospitals confirm that the technology developed is showing that it can play a decisive role in helping clinicians to improve the care of their patients and their quality of life”, says Sergi Valverde, one of the co-founders.

According to details from Tensor Medical, the application of its solution can improve the ability of doctors to detect cases by up to 87% in which the current treatment is not working. Valverde assures that reducing the margin of error when identifying whether the treatment is working means “fewer relapses, fewer episodes, patients have a reasonable quality of life and at the same time a decrease in healthcare costs”.

Tensor Medical is in the process of certifying its software as a medical device in Europe and the United States. The intention is to complete this process in the summer of next year. “It’s a project of international scope, we we want to become the standard protocol», explains Valverde.

“The application of this solution in hospitals will allow clinicians to detect inflammatory activity in patients early, making progress in decision-making and obtaining a more personalized and effective treatment for each patient”, explains Lluís Ramió- Torrentà, head of neurology at the University Hospital Dr. Josep Trueta from Girona.

Multiple sclerosis is the neurodegenerative disease that affects most young adults in the world. In Catalonia alone, there are more than 9,000 patients, and this number increases to almost three million people worldwide. Given the young age of the patients and the fact that the disease currently has no cure, diagnosing it as early as possible and above all starting a pharmacological treatment that slows down the progression of the disease is essential to improve the quality of life of the patients.

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