Torus AI's cancer-detection push: Toulouse startup eyes €2M raise on the strength of award-winning dermatology AI

## A French dermatology AI with North African relevance La Tribune profiled Torus AI on October 1, 2025, in a piece by Florine Galéron. The Toulouse startup is preparing a first financing round of more than €2 million. Its focus is skin-cancer detection in a crowded and competitive market. This development matters for Morocco. AI dermatology tools can support earlier triage and faster referrals. That can help patients in regions with limited specialist access. France sees 140,000–240,000 skin-cancer cases annually, according to La Tribune. The market urgency is clear across Europe and beyond. Morocco shares the challenge of catching melanoma early. ## What Torus AI claims to do Torus AI says its system can identify over 2,000 skin conditions from a photo. It goes beyond cosmetic assessments to flag true pathologies. The firm's marketing lead highlights breadth as a differentiator versus Big Tech rivals. La Tribune ties these claims to prior recognition. It describes the company as 'auréolée d'un prix international' for skin-cancer work. That signals external validation for the dermatology stack. ## Track record and validation The company points to a first-place result at the ISIC 2019 Skin Cancer Challenge. Its dermatology page advertises 40+ AI modules and 15+ patents. Independent program write-ups connected to Torus also describe a risk index for triage. These resources mention detection across dozens of melanoma and non-melanoma types. The risk index helps prioritize cases for specialist review. That aligns with practical workflows in teledermatology. ## Company background Torus was founded in 2019 by mathematician Nguyen Tien Zung at the University of Toulouse. It has participated in EU-funded melanoma projects such as iToBoS. The company obtained ISO 13485:2016 certification in 2023. ISO 13485 is a key quality system milestone for medical-device companies. It supports controlled development and post-market processes. That matters for regulated deployment and hospital adoption. ## Why this raise, now Regional outlets report Torus is launching a financing round above €2 million. The goal is to accelerate development and hiring. La Tribune frames this as a step-up to compete in cancer-detection AI. The segment is hyper-competitive. Productization and clinical integration will determine traction. Regulatory execution is another critical gate. ## Morocco's AI landscape and healthcare priorities Morocco's AI ecosystem is growing through universities, incubators, and public programs. Local startups apply AI in logistics, agriculture, and environmental monitoring. Examples include ATLAN Space in autonomous drones and Sowit in agri-analytics. Public agencies encourage digital pilots in essential services. Healthcare sits high on that agenda. AI triage for dermatology can add measurable value. ## Practical use cases for Morocco Torus AI could support primary care clinics through teledermatology triage. General practitioners capture standardized skin images with smartphones. The system returns a risk index and likely condition candidates. High-risk lesions get fast-tracked to dermatologists. Medium-risk cases receive scheduled follow-up or remote review. Low-risk findings trigger counseling and routine monitoring. ## Workflow design and integration Keep capture steps simple and repeatable. Standardize lighting, distance, and angles where possible. Provide immediate quality feedback before analysis. Integrate results into referral flows. Attach findings to electronic records where available. Support simple PDF or API exports for hospitals and insurers. ## Infrastructure realities Connectivity is variable across regions. Tools should operate in low-bandwidth or offline modes. Batch synchronization reduces delays and preserves audit trails. Smartphones are widely used in clinics. Ensure performance on mid-range devices. Offer clear guidance for camera settings and hygiene. ## Language, training, and change management Morocco's clinical workforce uses French and Arabic. Interfaces and training materials should cover both. Keep content concise with visual examples and checklists. Training should stress human oversight. Explain risk thresholds and escalation rules. Clarify that the AI is decision support, not a standalone diagnosis. ## Data governance and privacy Health images are sensitive data. Obtain explicit patient consent and document it. Use encryption in transit and at rest. Morocco has an established data protection authority (CNDP). Hospitals and vendors should align with its guidance. Define retention periods, access roles, and incident response. ## Regulatory pathway for clinical use ISO 13485 supports quality management. Buyers often request CE marking or equivalent evidence for clinical-grade software. Local validation strengthens confidence and procurement decisions. Plan a Moroccan validation study. Measure sensitivity and specificity across common phototypes. Include dermatologist adjudication and blinded reviews. ## Performance and bias considerations Skin tone diversity matters for dermatology AI. Test on representative Moroccan cohorts. Monitor false positives and false negatives separately. Report performance by lesion type and phototype. Disclose limitations and confidence ranges. Update models with new data under strict governance. ## Telemedicine and referral efficiency Telehealth use is expanding across Morocco's urban and rural programs. An AI triage layer can optimize referral queues. It can reduce unnecessary travel and appointment delays. Insurers and public payers focus on avoidable late-stage costs. Earlier detection lowers treatment intensity. That improves patient outcomes and budgets. ## Cost and procurement planning Consider subscription pricing per clinic or per user. Bundle training, calibration, and support. Offer pilots with clear success metrics. Public hospitals need predictable costs. Negotiate regional discounts and shared services. Include uptime SLAs and response times. ## Competition and positioning Big Tech ships dermatology features, often consumer-oriented. Torus positions on breadth across pathologies and clinical workflows. Neutral, interoperable modules suit hospital integration needs. Moroccan health-tech vendors can integrate such modules. APIs and standard formats ease adoption. Avoid lock-in with open data export options. ## Partnership options in Morocco Pilot with university hospitals in Casablanca, Rabat, and Marrakech. Engage dermatology societies on protocols and ethics. Collaborate with insurers and NGOs to reach rural clinics. Include ministries and regional health directorates. Align pilots with public health priorities. Share results transparently with stakeholders. ## Metrics that matter Time from first visit to dermatologist referral. Percentage of high-risk lesions correctly triaged. Patient follow-up adherence and satisfaction. Clinic workload changes for GPs and dermatologists. Referral appropriateness rates by risk tier. Cost per detected high-risk case. ## Risks to manage Over-reliance on AI without specialist oversight. Poor image quality in busy clinics. Cross-border data transfer complications in cloud setups. Workflow friction if results are hard to interpret. Model drift without regular monitoring. Procurement delays due to unclear evidence. ## Mitigations to apply Keep clinicians in the loop for high-risk outputs. Embed on-device quality checks and capture guidance. Use regional storage and strict access controls. Publish validation and operating thresholds. Schedule periodic model audits and recalibration. Provide clear end-user support channels. ## Funding and ecosystem implications Torus's raise could enable North African partnerships. Moroccan investors may prefer pilot co-funding and procurement trials. Grants can de-risk early deployments. Universities and incubators can host evaluation studies. Public agencies can streamline approvals for pilots. Hospitals can anchor real-world evidence generation. ## Regional cooperation and evidence-sharing EU projects like iToBoS demonstrate cross-border collaboration value. Morocco can contribute cohorts and clinician feedback. Joint studies strengthen evidence and trust. Shared protocols reduce duplication. Common metrics improve comparability. Results inform broader policy and procurement. ## Bottom line for Morocco Torus is a deep-tech contender translating research accolades into clinical-grade tools. If productization and regulatory milestones land, adoption can follow. Morocco can benefit if pilots prove impact, safety, and cost-effectiveness. ### Key takeaways - Torus claims 2,000+ conditions; ISIC 2019 win; ISO 13485 in 2023; raising >€2M. - Morocco can use AI triage in teledermatology; local validation and strong data governance are essential. - Success depends on clinical integration, bias testing, and clear training for frontline teams.