Ebenbuild GmbH: Advancing Respiratory Care through Lung Digital Twins
Company Overview
Ebenbuild GmbH is a German health-technology company specializing in the development of personalized, AI-driven digital twins of the human lung. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Munich, the company originated from over 15 years of cutting-edge research at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Ebenbuild?s mission is to transform respiratory medicine by replacing generalized, "one-size-fits-all" treatment approaches with precise, physics-based simulations tailored to the unique anatomy and pathophysiology of individual patients.
By combining advanced computer science, mechanical engineering, and medical expertise, Ebenbuild provides high-fidelity computational models that allow clinicians and pharmaceutical researchers to visualize and predict how air, tissue, and drugs interact within the complex structure of the lung.
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Core Technology: The Lung Digital Twin
The centerpiece of Ebenbuild's technology is the "Digital Twin" of the lung. This is not merely a 3D visualization but a dynamic, physics-based model that simulates the biological and mechanical processes of a specific patient's respiratory system.
- Physics-Based Simulation: Unlike standard AI models that rely solely on statistical patterns, Ebenbuild integrates fundamental laws of physics (fluid dynamics and solid mechanics). This allows the model to predict how air flows through bronchioles and how lung tissue deforms under the pressure of a ventilator.
- AI & Machine Learning: AI is utilized to rapidly process medical imaging data (such as CT scans) and extract the precise geometry of a patient's lung, automating the creation of the digital twin in a timeframe suitable for clinical use.
- Personalized Health Intelligence: The platform maps regional data?such as areas of inflammation, scarring (fibrosis), or collapse?to create a "heat map" of lung health that informs targeted interventions.
Products and Services
1. Twinhale: In Silico Trials for Drug Delivery
Twinhale is Ebenbuild?s flagship software solution for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. It facilitates "in silico" trials, which are computer-based simulations used to evaluate the efficacy of inhaled drugs and delivery devices.
- Aerosol Deposition Modeling: The software predicts exactly where drug particles will land within the lung, accounting for different inhalation maneuvers, device types (nebulizers, MDIs), and disease states like Asthma, COPD, or Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).
- De-risking Drug Development: By simulating drug delivery across a "digital cohort" of thousands of virtual patients, pharmaceutical companies can optimize their formulations and device settings before entering expensive human clinical trials.
- Targeted Therapy Design: Twinhale allows researchers to see if a drug reaches the deep alveolar regions or remains trapped in the upper airways, providing quantitative data to prove local drug delivery efficacy.
2. Clinical Decision Support for Mechanical Ventilation
Ebenbuild's secondary focus is on the intensive care unit (ICU), specifically for patients suffering from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).
- Protective Ventilation Protocols: Mechanical ventilation is life-saving but can cause further lung damage if settings are incorrect. Ebenbuild?s software analyzes CT data to recommend personalized "protective" settings (pressure, volume, and frequency) to minimize ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI).
- Real-time Monitoring Integration: The platform is designed to interface with hospital monitoring systems, providing doctors with predictive insights into how different ventilation strategies will affect the patient over time.
- Outcome Optimization: By personalizing these settings, Ebenbuild aims to reduce the mortality rate of ARDS?which currently stands near 40%?and shorten the duration of ICU stays.
3. Precision Therapeutic Consulting
Ebenbuild offers specialized research and consulting services to biotech firms and academic institutions. This includes:
* Custom Digital Cohorts: Creating virtual patient groups tailored to specific disease indications for preclinical research.
* Regulatory Support Data: Providing high-fidelity simulation data to support regulatory submissions for new respiratory medical devices.
Strategic Impact and Market Reach
As of 2026, Ebenbuild has secured significant backing, including a ?2.3 million grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) and seed funding from High-Tech Gr?nderfonds (HTGF) and Bayern Kapital. The company is a key member of international research alliances, such as the Open Source Imaging Consortium (OSIC), where it collaborates on combating fibrotic lung diseases.
By bridging the gap between life sciences and clinical practice, Ebenbuild is positioning itself as a leader in the multi-billion euro market for in silico trials and personalized medicine. Its technology addresses a critical global need for better respiratory diagnostics and therapies, particularly in the wake of increased awareness of pulmonary health following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leadership Team
The company was co-founded by experts in biomedical engineering and software architecture:
* Dr. Kei Wieland M?ller: CEO and Co-founder, specializing in the commercialization of biomedical simulations.
* Dr. Jonas Biehler: CTO and Co-founder, expert in high-performance computing and lung mechanics.
* Dr. Karl-Robert Wichmann: Chief Architect and Co-founder, focused on software engineering for medical applications.
* Prof. Wolfgang Wall: Scientific Advisor and Co-founder, a globally recognized authority on computational mechanics.
