AP-HP has just decided to acquire a stake inechOpen factory, which has developed an ultra-portable ultrasound imaging device connected to a smartphone or tablet. Manufactured in France, it should be on the market by the end of 2021 at a very competitive price, once CE marking has been obtained. This is the first time that the AP-HP has invested in a start-up. It was authorized to do so by a decree published in the Journal Officiel on June 27, enabling it to take equity stakes. This support for a young, innovative start-up whose activity was born at the Hôtel-Dieu AP-HP and which has developed within the public hospital, in direct contact with the care services, is part of an overall strategy to support innovation in all its forms within the AP-HP.
Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris has acquired a stake inechOpen factory, a young company that has developed in partnership with AP-HP. Co-founded by Dr. Mehdi Benchoufi, public health physician at Hôtel-Dieu-AP-HP and mathematician, it has developed an ultra-portable tri-frequency ultrasound imaging device, plugged into a smartphone or tablet, whatever the iOS or Android operating system, manufactured in France at remarkably attractive prices, complemented by a range of digital services available by subscription. Thanks to its price, robustness and ease of use, the probe can enable doctors to use the proven imaging technique of ultrasound in a wide range of situations for which it is already perfectly indicated, but where the price of existing equipment on the market remains an obstacle to its deployment. This type of technology is heralded in medical literature as "the stethoscope of the 21st century".
In the eyes of its founders, the echOpen ultrasound scanner could, in the future, play the role of an "ultrasound stethoscope", invaluable for diagnostic orientation, both in the home and in hospitals. After five years of research and development, and Open Source development of acoustic technologies, echOpen has now reached a turning point. Presented to some 50 doctors as a preview on July 5, the device was a resounding success. Industrialization has begun, and CE marking should be obtained by the end of 2021, paving the way for commercialization.
The AP-HP, in agreement with the French government, will provide public funds to back up the private financing raised by the company and the support provided by the Banque Publique d'Investissement. This decision is a natural extension of the support given by the AP-HP to the project since its inception, which has resulted in theechOpen team being based at the Hôtel-Dieu AP-HP, in direct contact with care teams, and in ongoing support from the institution's Clinical Research and Innovation Department (DRCI).
This acquisition is part of an overall strategy to support innovation at AP-HP. The Comité Technique d'Etablissement (Technical Committee), on which the trade unions are represented, gave a unanimously favorable opinion. The institutional medical commission issued a favorable opinion. The Supervisory Board unanimously authorized the AP-HP CEO to commit 500,000 euros, the maximum allowed by the decree.
As a university hospital, the AP-HP is committed to innovation. The search for new solutions to contribute to the well-being of patients, their families and the professionals who support them, is one of its primary missions. It supports and accompanies many forms of innovation in the healthcare sector, whatever their origin:
Diagnostic and therapeutic innovation (gene therapies, sequencing, etc.); Technological and digital innovation (medical devices, telemedicine, artificial intelligence, etc.);
Organizational and behavioral innovation (new care methods, new forms of communication, etc.).
These innovations may originate within the AP-HP, on the initiative of healthcare professionals, or be the fruit of collaboration with external players, in a spirit of open innovation serving patient care.
About AP-HP
AP-HP is a world-renowned university hospital center with a European dimension. It is organized into six university hospital groups (AP-HP. Center - Université de Paris; AP-HP. Sorbonne University; AP HP. Nord - Université de Paris; AP-HP. Université Paris Saclay; AP-HP. University Hospitals Henri Mondor and AP-HP. Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Seine-Saint-Denis) and is organized around five universities in the Paris region. Every year, its 39 hospitals welcome 8.3 million patients for consultation, emergency care, scheduled hospitalization or home hospitalization. Providing a public health service for all, 24 hours a day, is both a duty and a source of pride. AP HP is the largest employer in the Ile-de-France region, with 100,000 people - doctors, researchers, paramedics, administrative staff and workers - working there. http://www.aphp.fr
AboutechOpen factory
echOpen Factory is a start-up committed to developing, industrializing and deploying an ultra-portable, ultra-affordable and easy-to-use ultrasound imaging solution: a versatile tool for a major medical revolution, like the "stethoscope" of the 21st century. This solution is dedicated to patient diagnostic guidance: fast, anywhere, and includes an imaging probe, plugged into any smartphone or tablet, complemented by secure digital services, including artificial intelligence. Aimed at healthcare professionals, doctors and paramedics both in and out of hospital, this system will support practitioners in their day-to-day clinical practice to improve patient care across the country.
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