This is a new breakthrough in the fight against pancreatic cancer. The mAI Companion® medical device, which uses artificial intelligence to assist with pancreatic endoscopic ultrasound, has just obtained CE marking under the strict European Medical Device Regulation (MDR). Marketed by Medi-Globe, it is now available for clinical use in Europe.
The need for early detection
Pancreatic cancer is currently one of the deadliest and most difficult cancers to detect. Early identification of lesions is a real challenge with an impact on prognosis and patient outcome. mAI Companion® was developed to address this major clinical challenge.
A real-time “second set of eyes” for clinicians
Designed to integrate seamlessly into the endoscopist’s work environment, mAI Companion® acts as an intelligent assistant operating in real time. Its goal is to optimize the quality of the examination and the detection of pancreatic lesions through several features:
- Continuous anatomical guidance to maintain systematic coverage of the pancreas.
- Assistance in detecting lesions, providing the practitioner with immediate visual verification.
- Monitoring examination completeness, allowing at-a-glance visualization of the time spent on each area (head, body, and tail of the pancreas)
- Image and video recording to facilitate documentation and report editing.
Dr. Leonardo Sosa Valencia, Clinical Gastroenterologist, Digestive Echo Endoscopist, Medical Staff Manager at IHU, Strasbourg, France copyright: Medi-Globe GmbH / More information via ots and www.presseportal.de/en/nr/142441 / The use of this image for editorial purposes is permitted and free of charge provided that all conditions of use are complied with. Publication must include image credits.
mAI Companion® is an assistance tool, and the physician’s clinical judgment remains essential.
Technology transfer in record time
The mAI Companion® adventure perfectly illustrates the mission of the IHU Strasbourg, which is to accelerate the transfer of innovations to patients.
The research project began in 2021, with crucial financial support from the ARC Foundation for Cancer Research, under the leadership of Dr. Leonardo Sosa-Valencia, an expert in ultrasound endoscopy, and Prof. Nicolas Padoy, who heads the “CAMMA – Computational Analysis and Modeling of Medical Activities” team at the IHU. In 2022, the IHU established an R&D collaboration with the German company Medi-Globe to develop a prototype, which was transferred in 2023 to iGlobe Scientific, the joint venture created by the IHU Strasbourg and the German group Medi-Globe to accelerate product development.
Today, less than five years after the initial research work, the solution devised by the clinical and scientific teams has become a fully validated product, having undergone a complex regulatory process, CE MDR marking, and is now available on the healthcare market.
This achievement illustrates the IHU’s ability to respond concretely to medical needs by combining medical and scientific excellence with cutting-edge industrial expertise.
Training in excellence in echoendoscopy at the IHU Strasbourg
Technological innovation only comes into its own when it is mastered by practitioners. That is why the IHU Strasbourg is actively involved in the continuing education of international specialists. Through the ITEC (International Therapeutic Endoscopic Ultrasound Course), led by Dr. Leonardo Sosa Valencia, we offer intensive practical training in the most advanced therapeutic echoendoscopy techniques, incorporating the use of the latest innovations such as artificial intelligence.
Read the full press release, published on February 24, 2026:
https://www.presseportal.de/en/pm/142441/6222620
Discover the mAI Companion® project: Click here
Learn more about the ITEC course: Click here
