LIP6, a joint research unit of Sorbonne University and the CNRS, and Body CAP have created a joint laboratory called “Embedded Artificial Intelligence and Ingestible Capsules Lab” (ICI-lab) in collaboration with SATT Lutech, one of the Technology Transfer Acceleration Companies created within the framework of the “Investissements d’Avenir” program (PIA), to screen for intestinal diseases.
Created in 2012 in Caen, Normandy, BodyCap has focused its activity on the development of miniaturized sensors to facilitate the monitoring of physiological status. Its team includes skills in the development of communicating sensors and the industrialization of complete monitoring solutions. Its applications are integrated in the health sector but also in the fields of research, high level sports and military.
In particular, it has developed eCelsius Medical, a miniaturized electronic capsule that is simply swallowed and then continuously transmits central temperature data, and eCelsius Performance for monitoring gastrointestinal temperature.
UMR LIP6
LIP6 is a computer science research laboratory dedicated to modeling and solving fundamental application-driven problems, as well as implementing and validating solutions through academic and industrial partnerships.
Research within its 20 teams is organized around four transverse axes:
- Artificial Intelligence and Data Science;
- Architecture, systems and networks;
- Mathematical theory and tools for computer science.
Locally, it is very active within Sorbonne University where it promotes transdisciplinary collaboration between laboratories and is strongly involved in two major initiatives of Sorbonne University: SCAI (Sorbonne Center for Artificial Intelligence) launched in 2019, and QICS (Quantum Information Center Sorbonne), launched in 2020 for which it hosts the premises.
The LIP6 – BodyCAP collaboration
LIP6’s Cyclope project, led by Bertrand Granado and Andrea Pinna, both from Sorbonne University, aiming to develop an AI-enabled endoscopic capsule for the early detection of colorectal cancer was a winner of the CNRS’s 2020 premature program and was able to benefit from its financial support.
This allowed the LIP6 laboratory to collaborate with BodyCAP on a co-maturation project, financed by SATT Lutech, in order to achieve a proof of concept and to set up a strategy for the transfer and industrial valorization of assets from the laboratory.
They have responded to the ANR LabCom call for projects in 2021, their joint laboratory project “Embedded Artificial Intelligence and Ingestible Capsules”, ICI-lab, is among the winners of the second wave.
ICI-lab has two objectives:
- Open new R&D opportunities for disruptive innovations, using AI for automatic image processing to detect and characterize polyps ;
- Integrate new sensors (gas, pH, microbiota) within the videocapsule to characterize the explored environment, i.e. the gut.
In parallel, SATT Lutech will manage all legal and intellectual property aspects.
Research within ICI-lab
The work carried out within ICI-lab will concern the integration of digital processing, from low to high level, within videocapsules to realize new generation medical devices allowing:
- to automate the analysis and interpretation of the images of the intestinal
intestinal tract; - to support medical teams in the establishment of a diagnosis;
- to improve the follow-up of patients in gastroenterology.
These treatments will range from automatic extraction of regions of interest, to recognition of pathology markers and will be based on AI algorithms, including deep learning, vector support machines and decision trees.
Concretely, this labcom aims to study, design and validate intelligent endoscopic videocaps. BodyCAP and LIP6 are pooling their industrial resources and assets to develop an in vitro testing and validation platform using a biomechanical intestinal simulator. These tools will create a unique test environment to validate, at real size, in an artificial environment, the designed devices.
Translated from L’UMR LIP6 et BodyCap lancent leur labcom ICI-lab, pour dépister les maladies intestinales
