The Galien Foundation has named its 2026 Prix Galien USA nominees for best digital health solution, best medical technology, best incubator and accelerator and equity, and best startup, with artificial intelligence woven through much of the digital health slate. The winners are set to be honored October 29 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, as the awards mark their 20th year.
Digital health contenders lean heavily on AI. MedGPT, described as an AI digital twin of doctors, is among the nominees, as are Welldoc’s healthcare-ready AI platform and Medable’s agentic clinical development platform. Intellect, a clinically validated AI-enabled mental healthcare platform, made the list, along with Ayble’s AI-enabled virtual specialty GI clinic and Verify, an AI-enabled statistical analysis platform.
Imaging-focused entrants include AEYE-DS diagnostic screening and imaging-based prognostication, while Migraine Buddy draws insights from user-reported data and continuous biometrics. A mental health app democratizing therapy support for children, an event-triggered flare-state proteomics platform for autoimmune disease, and Future Doctor round out the digital health nominees.
The incubator and equity category also features AI-driven players, led by Deep Knowledge Group, a consortium spanning AI, longevity, biotech and healthtech. Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University’s joint healthcare accelerator, Weill Cornell Medicine’s BioVenture eLab, and Calibr-Skaggs Institute for Innovative Medicines are among the ecosystem nominees.
Medical technology nominees lean toward devices, from leadless pacemakers to the RefleXion X1 with biology-guided radiotherapy and Impella systems with SmartAssist. To qualify, medical technology entries must be FDA approved for marketing within the past five years, and the nominating committee weighs science and health impact rather than sales data. Founded in Paris in 1970 and sometimes dubbed the Nobel Prize of biopharmaceutical research, the award now spans 16 chapters across more than 75 countries.
