Mantis Biotech is making ‘digital twins’ of humans to help solve medicine’s data availability problem

Mantis Biotech, based in New York, is at the forefront of a revolutionary approach to address a critical challenge in medicine—the lack of accessible data for biomedical research. The company's innovative platform is designed to synthesize diverse data sources, creating digital twins that mirror human anatomy, physiology, and behavior. These digital twins serve as advanced predictive models that can aid in various applications, from analyzing new medical procedures to training surgical robots. Georgia Witchel, founder and CEO of Mantis, illustrated the potential of this technology using a sports example: predicting the risk of an NFL player developing an Achilles injury by assessing their performance metrics, training intensity, and dietary habits. To construct these digital representations, Mantis gathers data from a range of inputs, including textbooks, motion capture devices, biometric sensors, training logs, and medical imaging. The platform employs a large language model (LLM) to efficiently process and synthesize this information, which is then enhanced through a physics engine to generate realistic models. Witchel emphasized the importance of the physics layer, explaining how it enables the platform to produce valuable synthetic datasets, even in cases where traditional data is lacking. For instance, she noted the difficulty in finding datasets for individuals with unique physical conditions, such as missing fingers. Mantis can easily generate accurate models by modifying existing physics-based simulations. The versatility of Mantis' platform positions it as a vital tool across the biomedical landscape, particularly in addressing data shortages for rare diseases and other niche areas where ethical and regulatory hurdles complicate data collection. Currently, the startup has made significant strides in professional sports, with NBA teams among its primary clients. Mantis creates detailed digital profiles of athletes, analyzing their performance over time in conjunction with their recovery patterns. Recently, Mantis Biotech secured $7.4 million in seed funding, led by Decibel VC and supported by Y Combinator and several angel investors. This funding will facilitate hiring, marketing, and the overall development of their platform. Looking ahead, Witchel aims to broaden the technology's reach, ultimately targeting preventative healthcare and serving pharmaceutical researchers involved in FDA trials by providing insights on patient treatment responses.