Nijmegen-based Thirona, a company that specialises in advanced analysis of thoracic CT images with artificial intelligence (AI), announced on Monday that it has secured €7.5M in a fresh round of funding.
This funding includes a €5M investment from HERAN Partners and Dutch-based Borski Fund, along with a €2.5M grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC).
Katleen Vandersmissen of HERAN Partners says, “Thirona has demonstrated exceptional promise in the field of medical imaging. We are excited to support their mission to revolutionise healthcare through AI technology.”
According to Simone Brummelhuis from Borski Fund, the funding will offer Thirona resources to expand its market presence. Brummelhuis adds, “Thirona has achieved major growth milestones, forged co-innovation partnerships with leading medical companies, and became a leader in the MedTech space for lung image analysis.”
Borski Fund’s mission is to improve access to financing for female entrepreneurs aiming to make a positive impact, as a way to address this gap and promote diversity in investments.
“AI-powered medical image analysis”
Thirona BV, founded by scientist Eva van Rikxoort in 2014, is an AI company specialising in precise image analysis of retinal and lung images. It offers expertise-based services to medtech, pharmaceutical, and CRO (Contract Research Organisation) companies in this field.
Thirona claims its technology can significantly improve the precision and efficiency of bronchoscopic and surgical lung procedures (making them easier and less invasive for patients), including robotic procedures, by analysing medical images.
The Dutch company’s lung quantification platform, LungQ, encompasses a robust and high-performance set of AI-based algorithms. These algorithms are trained on diverse disease-specific datasets, providing top-notch analytical capabilities in the market.
With over 15 million images analysed, the company says it is a globally recognised expert in advanced image analysis.
LungQ is a scalable AI platform that delivers consistent and reproducible results, making it suitable for both exploratory research studies and large multi-site clinical trials.
Thirona partners with research institutions and medical companies to advance precision medicine for personalised pulmonary disease treatment.
Capital utilisation
Thirona says it will use the funds to accelerate the adoption of its “breakthrough” innovations for precision medicine.
Founder Eva van Rikxoort says, “We are very pleased with the confidence our investors have shown in our vision and capabilities. This funding will enable us to continue pushing the boundaries of AI-powered imaging and help advance personalised treatment for lung patients around the world.”
Rita Priori, CTO of Thirona, adds, “The future of healthcare is undergoing a transformation, and we are at the forefront of this evolution, leading the way in our field. With the support of the investors, we are well geared to have our technology significantly impact patient care and the medical industry.”
