Twinical

Twinical is developing a platform for soft-tissue surgical planning and navigation, conceptualized as a "GPS for surgeons." The company was co-founded in late 2021 by Mario Aricò, who has a Ph.D. in surgical robotics; Stéphane Cotin, a senior researcher at Inria and an expert in modeling deformable objects; and Dr. Éric Vibert, a surgeon specializing in liver and biliary diseases. The venture originated when Aricò, seeking an entrepreneurial project, discovered the SOFA (Simulation Open Framework Architecture) platform, which was developed by Cotin and his team to create real-time models of deformable objects for applications like virtual surgical training. This led to the idea of applying digital twin technology to the unique challenges of soft-tissue surgery, where organ deformation and tumor repositioning make real-time accuracy difficult to achieve.

Twinical's core technology creates a "twinical," a digital twin or virtual replica of a patient's organ, by combining three pillars: simulation using the digital twin, real-time image acquisition to ensure the model accurately reflects the physical organ during surgery, and artificial intelligence for image processing. This system provides surgeons with a 3D model based on static images like MRIs and CT scans, which can be used to plan the surgical strategy pre-operatively. During the operation, surgeons can use an augmented reality headset to overlay this digital twin onto their field of view, offering enhanced visualization of internal structures and tumors that might be invisible to the naked eye, and guidance for navigating the complex anatomy of soft, shape-shifting organs like the liver.

The primary clients are surgeons, surgical teams, and healthcare institutions. By providing a detailed, dynamic roadmap, Twinical aims to enhance surgical precision, reduce complications, and improve patient outcomes. The company's journey has been supported by key partnerships with Inria and Paris Hospitals (AP-HP). After its formation, the project entered the Inria Start-up Studio for maturation in March 2022 and went on to win the prestigious i-Lab Grand Prize later that year, securing significant financial support. The company was officially established in Autumn 2023, with plans for clinical trials leading to a commercial launch targeted for early 2027.

Keywords: surgical navigation, digital twin surgery, soft tissue modeling, augmented reality surgery, surgical planning software, medical imaging AI, real-time organ simulation, liver surgery technology, computer-assisted surgery, surgical robotics, MedTech, surgical guidance, AR in healthcare, Inria startup, surgical simulation, minimally invasive surgery, surgical data visualization, operative planning, clinical decision support, image-guided surgery, medical virtual reality