Disior is transforming 3D medical imaging

Anna-Maria Henell

CEO & Co-Founder Anna-Maria Henell from Disior explains that the mission of the Helsinki-based startup is to provide medical professionals with the diagnostic information they need to deliver perfectly-tailored treatments to every patient.

“Using our software, it is possible to segment, quantify and model 3D medical imaging data in just minutes”, she says, adding that the results from Disior software provide highly accurate patient-specific 3D models and clinically relevant 3D measurements.

“This way we’re able to provide objective data for diagnosis, treatment planning as well as outcome assessment.”

Fast, objective, accurate

According to Henell, the use of Disior software yields three kinds of benefits. First of all, there is a 95% reduction in medical image processing times.

“You can go from DICOM to 3D anatomical models and analytics in less than five minutes,” she promises. ​

Second, clinicians are able to operate with a higher degree of certainty: Disior’s 3D anatomical analysis is developed around clinical landmarks and reference points that can be defined objectively with a high degree of repeatability.

“Thirdly, you’re able to get better outcomes with our software, since 3D measurements can be used more accurately to diagnose and quickly plan the patients’ treatment.”

In addition, the Disior software allows you to put together large-scale orthopaedic studies to improve understanding of pathological conditions and normal variation.

Nokia roots

Disior is founded on the belief that doctors should have the best possible tools to help them treat their patients, explains Henell.

“That is the reason why we are bringing advanced medical imaging software to doctors’ everyday work,” she says.

Henell points out that while introducing mathematical modeling into physicians’ clinical work at this scale may be a novel approach, it is nevertheless something that engineers have always done, using modelling to help with e.g. mechanics, motion and strength calculations.

Doctors should have the best possible tools to help them treat their patients.

The roots of Disior run to the 3D analytics expertise of the mobile phone giant Nokia in early 2010s. As new cell phone models were tested virtually, 3D imaging was a key tool at Nokia, with hundreds of people working with the technology. When Nokia’s mobile phone operations were sold to Microsoft, a lot of 3D imaging wizards were left wondering, if they should try to do something else with their considerable know-how.

“Around 2016 we decided to re-purpose the software used in mobile phone development, after seeing the potential benefits it could have in medicine,” Henell looks back. “As for me, I always wanted to be a doctor growing up – and this way, I was able to get pretty close,” she laughs.

In addition to Henell, there are three other founders: fellow ex-Nokian Sakari Soini and two medical industry veterans, Risto Kontio and Goncalo Barreto.

Anchored in science

Finally, Disior was launched in October 2016. In the years that followed, the startup worked together with medical doctors, researchers and professors to develop the tools which maximise the benefit of today’s 3D medical images – aiming for better diagnostics and treatment planning all the way.

The first software (self-certified, Class I) came out in 2019, and the first CE marked software (Class II) came out in the summer 2020.

“Meeting the regulatory demands takes time, but scientific validation is the corner stone of everything we do,” she says, adding that new software, targeting the needs of surgeons, will be launched in May 2021.

New software will be launched in May 2021.