AI can spot signs of disease in MRI scans that doctors may miss

Twinn Health focuses on metabolic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

Magnetic resonance tomography scanner. Image: Shutterstock

A UK healthtech start-up has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that can analyze MRI scans for early disease detection, and its approach using imaging biomarkers promises to improve decision-making in disease diagnosis and treatment.

Twinn Health, which is backed by Saudi Aramco's $500 million venture capital fund, says it is making strides in longevity and preventive healthcare.

MRI technology has long been an important tool in the healthcare industry. While advances in artificial intelligence have begun to facilitate the detection of specific conditions in MRI scans, broader applications for disease detection and life extension are still in their infancy.

In an interview with Longetivy Technology, Wareed Alenaini, Founder and CEO of Twinn Health, explained using kidney stones as an example: “Normally, when you do an MRI today, one MRI scan will get you a diagnosis.”

"You do an MRI, the doctor checks for kidney stones, writes the report, and then the scans are archived and may never be checked again," Alenaini continued. "This is where Twinn comes in: We're extracting more insights from MRI scans that may not be a doctor's primary focus."

Combining artificial intelligence and MRI technology, Twinn Health aims to usher in a new era of healthcare through the early detection and management of age-related diseases. The company's ambitious roadmap includes addressing age-related frailty and liver disease.

"We're using technology to make chronic disease prevention scalable," Alenaini told the site, which is published by First Longevity and backed by Marco Polo Securities.

Alenaini, a Saudi national with a PhD in bioimaging from Imperial College London, came up with Twinn Health's foundation while studying body patterns in MRI images and their relationship to disease progression.

Twinn's primary focus is on metabolic diseases (the triple disease of diabetes, hypertension and obesity) as these conditions increase the susceptibility of patients to serious health problems such as coronary heart disease and stroke. Twinn's AI platform scans MRI images to look for potentially harmful hidden fat deposits around organs, an important indicator of heart disease even in healthy individuals.

Alenaini claims that early trials have shown promising results, with an accuracy rate of 95% by 2021, which will then be confirmed with real-world data in 2022 with NHS doctors in the UK.

Alenaini said Twinn's patented artificial intelligence model can predict metabolic dysfunction up to five years in advance.

Alenaini told Longevity Technology that the company aims to hold four more patents, address three more conditions, and amass a million data points to demonstrate its scalability and accessibility.

The growing global interest in longevity fits perfectly with Twinn's vision.

"As the field of longevity grows and more health and longevity clinics emerge, we see ourselves as the most accurate diagnostic platform that can support this," she said. "Our current focus is getting FDA approval to enter the US market, but our next focus will be the Middle East, as we've seen a huge boost to longevity in that part of the world."

Future disease targets include age-related frailty (sarcopenia) and liver disease, inspired in part by Twinn angel investor Saleh Al Harthi, chairman of the Saudi Football Federation's medical committee Influence.

The company is currently seeking additional funding as Twinn Health looks to further expand into multiple disease indications. While early fundraising efforts focused on metabolic disease, the company is now poised to expand its reach into other disease pathways, further strengthening its commitment to longevity.