VB Tech /// Software

Hygie is a browser-based platform for brain exploration that generates patient-specific digital twins from standard structural and functional neuroimaging.

It provides automated preprocessing, personalized whole-brain simulations that reproduce EEG, MEG, and BOLD dynamics, advanced inference modules, and an interactive 3-D viewer.
Clinicians and researchers can conduct diagnostics, prototype virtual surgeries or stimulation protocols, and juxtapose simulated signals with each individual’s empirical data.
Offered for research, education, and investigational clinical studies, Hygie streamlines collaboration and accelerates hypothesis testing in neuroscience and precision medicine.
Built to fit into clinical and research environments, Hygie supports standardized data import from multimodal sources and ensures interoperability with existing neuroimaging and electrophysiology systems.

The VEP Module (Virtual Epileptic Patient)

VEP (Virtual Epileptic Patient) is a clinical decision-support module associated to the Hygie platform, designed for the care of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. It uses patient-specific neuroimaging and intracranial EEG data to simulate the propagation of epileptic activity across the brain network.

VEP assists clinicians in identifying epileptogenic zones by comparing simulated seizure dynamics to recorded data and enables the virtual testing of resection strategies before surgery.

The module is currently undergoing clinical and regulatory validation (EPINOV trial) and is intended to support neurosurgical planning by providing mechanistic insights into seizure onset and propagation.

VEP is compatible with standard SEEG-based workflows and integrates seamlessly with clinical imaging and electrophysiology systems.

Module development

VEP version 2 (currently in development):
VEP 1 is based on the standard invasive SEEG procedure, while VEP 2 will be a completely non-invasive procedure using EEG instead of SEEG with the same performance for Epileptogenic zones identification than VEP 1.

VEP associated modules or features

Testing in-silico of Precision Therapeutic Medical Devices (Gamma-knife, Neuromodulation, Micro-Surgery…)

Clinical modules on other Brain Diseases

Scientific Proof of Concept have been obtained to address with The Virtual Brain other critical brain diseases (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, M/S, Schizophrenia, Tumor or Stroke).

The corresponding clinical modules will be developed in partnership with pharmaceutical industry, intending to also support precision drug development.

Data Integration Module

Imports and processes multimodal patient data (MRI, DTI, EEG, SEEG, etc.)

Ensures standardized and secure data handling for clinical workflows

Brain Model Builder

Constructs personalized virtual brain models using patient-specific anatomy and connectivity

Integrates biophysical models of neural dynamics

Simulation Engine

Runs large-scale brain simulations to reproduce and explore pathological dynamics

Supports “what-if” testing of virtual interventions (e.g., resection, neuromodulation)

Outcome Predictor

Uses simulation data to assess and compare therapeutic strategies

Predicts treatment outcomes using quantitative and patient-specific metrics

Visualization & Reporting Interface

Interactive 2D/3D visualizations of brain structure, activity, and intervention results

Generates clinical-grade reports for documentation and multidisciplinary team discussions

Clinical Dashboard

User-friendly interface for neurologists, neurosurgeons, and clinical researchers

Supports case management, data comparison, and longitudinal follow-up

What makes a hub?

VB Tech collaborates with international clinical reference centers to validate its technology in real-world settings. These partnerships support the evaluation, feedback, and adoption of VB Tech’s clinical platform and modules.

Research can take a long time to make it from the lab or a journal article to application and use in the real world and usually requires different groups of people to pick the idea up along the way – these different groups are represented as Hubs.

A Hub of VB Tech is an organization that supports, coordinates, and facilitates (clinical) research activities linked to Hygie.

It serves as a focal point to applying Hygie to daily clinical and research practice as well as education, managing clinical trials, studies, and collaborations among different stakeholders such as researchers, clinicians, industry partners, regulatory bodies, and patients.

Hub #0: APHM – Marseille, France: Lead:
Fabrice Bartolomei, MD
Hub #1: UPMC – Pittsburgh, USA: Lead:
Jorge A. González-Martínez, MD, PhD
Hub #3: UC Davis – Davis, USA: Lead:
Nigel Paul Pedersen, MD

Want to become the next VB Tech Hub?

Contact Lisa Otten or Jean-Marc Ferrier!

Hub benefits

Installation of Hygie on their premises including a two-day training event
Full access to Hygie for free
Freedom to explore Hygie as they please for their own clinical and fundamental research
Hubs are closely accompanied by the VB Tech science and development team (weekly meetings, fast translation from research need to tech implementation).
Hub feedback guides the development and Hygie is adapted to the needs and interests of the Hub.
Hub research translation to clinic is accelerated.

Key Functions of a Clinical Research Hub

Testing Hygie’s performance in the real world

Testing the application in their clinical practice
Providing feedback to our team of developers
Having personalised guidance and support

Coordination and Management:

Integrating Hygie in clinical trials
Helping with protocol development, regulatory approvals, and trial monitoring.

Infrastructure and Resources:

Provides access to clinical data, data management systems, biobanks, and clinical facilities.
Supplies trained personnel such as engineers, clinical practitioners

Training and Education:

Hub offers training programs for clinicians and researchers on how to use Hygie in their practice

Screenshot of Hygie software — 3D rendering of a transparent mesh representing the patient's scalp surface, with a color-coded cortical surface visible beneath it.

Both anatomical surfaces are derived from the individual's T1-weighted MRI scan.

The color variations on the cortex reflect brain region parcellation based on the VEP (Virtual Epilepctic Patient) atlas. Circular markers on the scalp denote the locations of EEG electrodes, accurately fitted to the subject's head.

Leveraging an electromagnetic forward model, the system enables simulation of how neural activity from the cortex would manifest at these electrode sites.

This visualization represents a fully individualized digital brain twin.

The cortical gray matter ribbon and subcortical structures are color-coded based on the VEP atlas parcellation.

In the lower right panel, a 3D rendering of the cortex is shown, featuring a cutaway view that reveals internal brain structures.

Superimposed on this view are the sensor positions of the SEEG (stereo-electroencephalography), reconstructed from post-implantation CT scans. This precise localization ensures accurate modeling of electrical activity through an individualized forward model.

Tractography is used to reconstruct white matter fiber pathways by analyzing the directional diffusion of water in brain tissue. These fibers establish structural connections between regions defined by the VEP atlas parcellation.

The strength of these connections is visually represented through a color-coded scale within the matrix, providing a detailed map of the brain’s personalized structural connectivity.

White matter tracts of the right hemisphere are visualized, reconstructed from the individual's diffusion MRI data to reveal the brain’s structural connectivity.

Additionally, the image includes the subject’s accurately localized SEEG implantation scheme, derived from post-implantation CT scans.

This provides a detailed and patient-specific view of both anatomical structures and electrode placements for precise neurophysiological modeling.

Hygie: brain exploration in your browser

Hygie modules