British health tech startup, Twinn Health, is introducing an innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze MRI scans for early disease detection. With the backing of a $500 million venture capital fund from Saudi Aramco, Twinn Health is positioning itself as a leader in the field of longevity and preventive healthcare, as reported by Decrypt.
MRI technology has long been a crucial tool in healthcare. However, the application of AI to detect specific conditions within MRI scans is a relatively recent development. Twinn Health’s approach, using imaging biomarkers, promises to enhance disease diagnosis and treatment decision-making.
“Usually, when you do an MRI today, it’s one MRI scan for one single diagnosis,” Wareed Alenaini, founder and CEO of Twinn Health, told Longetivy Technology. He explained that once a scan is done and a diagnosis is made, the scan data is typically archived and rarely checked again. Twinn Health aims to change this by extracting additional insights from MRI scans that may not have been the physician’s primary focus.
Twinn Health’s goal is to pioneer a new era in healthcare by detecting and managing age-associated diseases early on. The company’s ambitious roadmap includes tackling age-related frailty and liver disease. “We’re using technology to make chronic disease prevention scalable,” Alenaini said.
Twinn’s primary focus is on metabolic disease—a trifecta of diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity—since these conditions increase patients’ susceptibility to severe health issues such as coronary heart disease and stroke. Twinn’s AI platform scans MRI images for potentially harmful hidden fatty deposits around organs, a crucial heart disease indicator even among healthy individuals.
Early trials showed promising results, Alenaini claimed, with a 95% accuracy rate in 2021, subsequently confirmed with real-world data alongside NHS physicians in the UK in 2022. According to Alenaini, Twinn’s patented AI model can foresee metabolic dysfunction up to half a decade ahead of time.
Twinn Health’s vision aligns perfectly with the growing global interest in longevity. “As the longevity field evolves and with the emergence of more healthy longevity clinics, we see ourselves as the most accurate diagnostic platform that can support this,” Alenaini said. The company is currently focusing on getting FDA approval for the American market but also has plans to expand into the Middle East.
As Twinn Health continues to expand into multiple disease indications, the company is now seeking additional funding. While early fundraising efforts focused on metabolic disease, the company is now ready to extend its reach into other disease pathways, further strengthening its commitment to longevity.
