Accenture has invested in medical digital twin developer Virtonomy. The investment will allow Virtonomy to expand the capabilities of its medical digital twin technology and extend its use by medical device makers globally.

Virtonomy’s digital twin simulation solution enables medical device manufacturers to build model patient virtual environments for device testing at a reduced cost and with a lesser degree of regulatory complexity. The solution is based on an ever-expanding database of real clinical data that reflects factors such as anatomical variability, demographic diversity, and pathological conditions.

“Digital twin technology, alongside data, analytics and AI, is opening the door to endless new possibilities to reinvent the life sciences industry,” said Tom Lounibos, managing director of Accenture Ventures. “But there must always be a strong data foundation to build accurate digital twin simulations. We will work with Virtonomy to set a strategy for real-time data collection that includes high-quality historic data, as well as continuous data monitoring and validation from new sources.”

Virtonomy’s solution can use existing data from clinical trials to create virtual environments where medical devices can be easily set up, adjusted and validated, and potential impact is seen immediately. This approach saves time and still meets regulatory and ethical demands.

Petra Jantzer, Ph.D., a senior managing director and global lead of the Accenture Life Sciences practice, said, “MedTech companies are prioritising digital health by investing in R&D, technology, digital transformation and creating new business models. Virtonomy’s digital twin technology can help enhance medical device design in a virtual patient setting, accelerating development timelines and reducing costs, risk, and regulatory barriers. Virtonomy is reinventing how medical devices are safely and quickly brought to patients.”

“The medical device industry is facing increasing complexity in development processes, impacting risk, cost, and time-to-market for critical medical devices,” said Dr. Simon J. Sonntag, co-founder and CEO of Virtonomy. “Digital twin technology can help address these challenges and tapping into Accenture’s expertise in data strategy and management will help Virtonomy expand our existing database of clinical data, with essential data and actionable insights that can streamline the medical device manufacturing process.”