Every year, millions of patients worldwide face preventable surgical complications, ranging from bleeding to infections, that extend recovery times, increase healthcare costs, and put lives at risk. Despite advances in surgical techniques, hospitals still lack tools to measure and reduce risk during operations.

Scialytics, a spin-off of the IHU Strasbourg, is tackling this challenge head-on, drawing on more than a decade of cutting-edge research in surgical AI within the CAMMA research group, a joint IHU – University of Strasbourg lab led by Prof. Nicolas Padoy, one of the world’s leading figures in surgical data science and CSO of IHU Strasbourg.

Having benefited from Bpifrance French Tech LAB financing and incubation through the regional Quest for Health start-up incubator, the company has developed the world’s first AI-powered end-to-end ecosystem designed to analyze surgical video in real time, supporting surgeons during critical steps and enabling data-driven quality assurance across healthcare systems.

With backgrounds shaped in the IHU Strasbourg’s unique multidisciplinary and highly connected environment, the founding team brings together complementary expertise in data science, engineering, and surgery to translate over a decade of research into practical innovation that raises clinical standards:

• Deepak Alapatt, MSc – CEO
• Dr Pietro Mascagni, MD, PhD – Chief Medical Officer
• Dr Luca Sestini, PhD – Chief Technology Officer
• Dr Tong Yu, PhD – Head of Product
• Prof. Nicolas Padoy – Scientific Advisor

2025 Milestones: From Lab to OR

Scialytics has already achieved key regulatory and clinical milestones:

• FDA feedback confirmed a streamlined approval pathway for its first software-as-a-medical-device product: a real-time assistant for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal).
• Clinical validation is underway:
  • A first-in-human study at IHU Strasbourg led by Prof. Silvana Perretta.
  • A U.S. comparative trial at UCSF, led by Prof. Adnan Alseidi.

An Open Ecosystem for Surgical Innovation

Scialytics is actively seeking collaborations with:

• Surgeons and hospitals aiming to raise safety and quality standards.
• Investors looking for clinically validated healthtech with clear regulatory pathways.
• Digital health innovators building complementary solutions in surgery.

For more information or partnership opportunities, visit scialytics.io.

Scialytics is yet another example of the ability of IHU Strasbourg — where clinicians, engineers and researchers work side by side — to transform pioneering research of excellence into a concrete solution that benefits patients and fosters business creation.

Robotic telesurgery: first cross-border demonstration between France and Germany with haptic feedback over 5G and Wi-Fi 6 networks

At the 2025 meeting of the Surgical Robotics Society (SRS), held in Strasbourg from July 16 to 20, Dr. Alain Garcia, surgeon and researcher at IHU Strasbourg, and Johannes Horsch, representing the Fraunhofer IPA Institute (Germany), presented a unique comparison between 5G and Wi-Fi 6 technologies for image-guided telesurgery procedures with haptic feedback.

The study, unveiled on July 18, focused on a procedure involving robot-assisted, image-guided percutaneous needle implantation on a mannequin. It was conducted between two hybrid operating rooms located 115 kilometers apart, one in Strasbourg and the other in Mannheim, connected by a secure VPN connection.

The system was based on:

• A robotic arm equipped with a force detection motor to provide haptic feedback to the surgeon,
• Remote planning and control via ROS2 and OpenIGTLink standards,
• Local supervision at the patient site to ensure real-time safety.

The results are promising:

• All procedures were successfully completed, both on a private 5G network and Wi-Fi 6,
• Latency times remained within an acceptable range for remote surgery (approximately 42 ms on 5G and 50 ms on Wi-Fi 6).
• Integration into the medical workflow proved seamless.

This collaboration is the first demonstration of telesurgery between France and Germany based on next-generation wireless networks, offering concrete prospects for a future where connectivity will expand access to specialized remote care.

Learn more about the project: www.ipa.fraunhofer.de

A new breakthrough in the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: mAI Companion®, AI for echoendoscopy.

At the Manchester Advanced Endoscopy Symposium – EUS/ERCP 2025, Dr. Leonardo Sosa Valencia, international expert and director of echoendoscopy courses at the IHU Strasbourg, presented an exclusive preview of mAI Companion®, a new AI-based tool to assist in the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Developed by the German company Medi-Globe Technologies GmbH, in close collaboration with the joint venture iGlobe Scientific founded with the IHU Strasbourg, mAI Companion® represents a real revolution for clinicians. Designed to be easy to use, fast, and reliable, this intelligent assistant analyzes echoendoscopy images in real time and assists physicians in the early detection of pancreatic lesions.

“Thanks to this innovation, we hope to take a major step forward in the fight against pancreatic cancer, where the quality of early diagnosis remains one of the main challenges,” says Dr. Sosa Valencia, who is also involved in several translational research projects combining AI, navigation, and advanced imaging.“

A strategic partnership against pancreatic cancer

mAI Companion® is a clinical decision support tool designed by and for echoendoscopy specialists. It aims to transform the screening and management of pancreatic diseases. It is the result of a research project initiated in 2021 by the IHU Strasbourg with the decisive support of the ARC Foundation for Cancer Research. The research prototype developed by IHU Strasbourg was transferred in 2023 to iGlobe Scientific, a joint venture created by IHU Strasbourg and Medi-Globe Technologies to develop a commercial product.

The rapid development of mAI Companion® was made possible by the close collaboration between medical expertise, cutting-edge research, and technological innovation. The upcoming commercialization of this medical device should strengthen the arsenal of gastroenterologists in Europe and beyond.

A driving force for the IHU Strasbourg

Since its creation, the IHU Strasbourg has placed care, research, innovation, and training at the heart of its mission. Through international programs such as the ITEC course, the center trains practitioners from around the world in the most advanced techniques of therapeutic echoendoscopy every year.

Today, the IHU reaffirms its commitment to advancing the medicine of tomorrow through ambitious partnerships and disruptive technological solutions that benefit patients.

To learn more about mAI Companion®:
Discover the tool on the Medi-Globe website

To learn more about iGlobe Scientific:
Read our article on the inauguration

To learn more about the ITEC course:
ITEC course page – IHU Strasbourg

On June 12, 2025, during the FORCE Foundation Awards Ceremony for Innovation and Research in Health, seven projects were recognized for their potential to transform the healthcare system. Among them, the FAST-Tx project, led by the Strasbourg University Hospital Institute, was hailed as a potential major breakthrough in the field of thoracic oncology.

An innovative patient pathway for personalized lung cancer treatment

FAST-Tx offers a paradigm shift in the care pathway for patients with suspicious lung nodules: diagnosis and intervention in less than 24 hours.

This integrated approach is based on a completely original technological and organizational ecosystem that will leverage synergies between world-class medical and surgical expertise, unparalleled clinical infrastructure, and innovations from companies.

The project illustrates the IHU Strasbourg’s strong commitment to developing image-guided, minimally invasive surgical pathways enhanced by robotics and artificial intelligence. The objective of FAST-Tx is clear: to accelerate patient care in order to increase the chances of recovery, improve the rates of complete resection of cancerous nodules, and offer a new standard of care that can be exported to other hospital facilities.

An exemplary collaborative dynamic

The project led by the IHU Strasbourg brings together key partners:

• The thoracic surgery center and the diagnostic and therapeutic interventional bronchial endoscopy department of the Strasbourg University Hospitals,
• Visible Patient Lab, the leading online laboratory for 3D modeling of medical images for the creation of digital twins,
• ASARIA – Assisted Surgery by Augmented Reality & AI, which has developed an augmented reality device for pre- and intraoperative assistance in interventional procedures.

Led by Prof. Christian Debry (Director General of the IHU Strasbourg), with Prof. Pierre-Emmanuel Falcoz (thoracic surgery), Dr. Cezar Matau (bronchial endoscopy), Luc Soler (Visible Patient Lab), and Bernard Dubois (Asaria), the FAST-Tx team shares the same vision of a new generation of precise and personalized minimally invasive procedures. This synergy between clinical excellence, cutting-edge technologies, and hospital engineering demonstrates the ability of local stakeholders to innovate together for the benefit of patients.

A trophy that symbolizes a vision for the future

Awarded by the FORCE Foundation, which supports the emergence of innovative solutions to improve healthcare in the future, this trophy rewards boldness, scientific rigor, and collective commitment. The FAST-Tx project embodies a concrete response to the challenges of oncology, placing medical time, precision, and patient well-being at the heart of the system.

More info:

Article from Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace (DNA), published on June 16, 2025:
The Force Foundation supports seven new research projects in Alsace

Fondation Force

The IHU Strasbourg is delighted with this recognition and will continue to work alongside its partners to advance medicine that is increasingly rapid, personalized, and efficient.