In France, approximately 3 billion people are victims of cardiovascular accidents each year. With 140,000 deaths a year it is the leading cause of acquired disabilities and most of the patients are left with severe after-effects. In Bordeaux, two young entrepreneurs have developed a digital solution to help doctors make their diagnosis. 

Created in 2018 by Florian Bernard and Romain Leguay, Nurea is the result of a research project carried out at the INRIA over a number of years. “The idea was to develop a tool that supports doctors in their diagnosis, which saves them time and helps them reach decisions,” said Florian Bernard, co-founder of Nurea. To meet this need, the start-up developed a technology called PRAEVAorta to analyse medical images produced by scanners and MRIs. With this software, radiologists, vascular surgeons and cardiologists can detect abnormalities even before the first symptoms of an accident appear in the patient. The only piece of data the software needs is the CT or MRI image. Using this data, it transcribes the image in the form of a digital simulation, automates the interpretation steps and allows doctors to access information that is almost undetectable under normal circumstances, enabling the medical staff to make more reliable diagnoses.

“We have succeeded in demonstrating that PRAEVAorta can improve the Diagnostic time by up to 95%. This is of enormous benefit to both the patient and the doctors.” Florian Bernard, Co-founder of Nurea. 

PRAEVAorta obtained certification for diagnosing aortic diseases in May 2021. The company, which now has seven employees, is in the process of obtaining a second certification, this time to detect more pathologies such as carotid or lower limb stenosis. Currently in use in 7 hospitals in Europe and North America, Nurea is counting on its participation in the French Healthcare NEXT program to speed up the development of its business in North America.