Imagine the fear you feel while hearing the word "Cancer".
Now, diagnosing cancer could take just two minutes instead of days, enabling patients even in remote areas to access cutting-edge diagnostics on their own without visiting hospitals.
Two Bengaluru doctors: Dr. Narayana Subramaniam, a head and neck surgical oncologist, and Dr. Hardik Pandya, an engineer-scientist from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, are the creators of this innovation.
They won a grant of $2.4 million from the National Institutes of Health in the United States, promising to revolutionise cancer screening by combining affordability, portability, and the power of artificial intelligence.
Dr. Narayana Subramaniam is hopeful of completing the protocol in five years, and said that they are already in conversation with central and state governments to try cutting technology in state-run and private hospitals.
This platform aims to revolutionise cancer diagnostics, making it faster, cheaper, and more accessible.
Dr. Subramanyam says: “Traditional cancer screening methods often rely on biopsies, which involve multiple steps — processing the sample, pathology reviews, and significant turnaround times. These procedures can take days and require technical expertise, often unavailable in rural and underserved areas.”
To tackle this issue, they have developed a digital pathology platform for the detection.
The device, akin to a portable slide scanner, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse samples.
We aim to partner with government and private entities to make the device accessible to those who need it most.Dr. Narayana Subramaniam, a head and neck surgical oncologist at IISc Bangalore.
How the device works
The device, akin to a portable slide scanner, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse samples. It identifies abnormal cells and generates a diagnosis within two minutes, even in remote locations.
Moreover, the projected cost is just one-tenth of current high-end slide scanners, making it a game-changer for mass cancer screenings.
“So, what we have been building for the last six to seven years is a platform that will make the diagnosis of cancer faster and cheaper. Right now, the issue with conventional screening techniques is that you have to do a biopsy. That biopsy has to be processed, it needs to be looked at by a pathologist, and all of those steps require a lot of expertise and time. It’s not generally done close to the patient. You have to go to a hospital or, even if someone comes to you for screening, the sample has to be sent somewhere to a lab to be processed. The turnaround time is significant and can take days, even when you’re quite efficient,” he says.
The National Institutes of Health give out these research grants for significant initiatives at different readiness levels. This specific international grant was centred on the application of technology to non-communicable diseases, such as cancer.
A digital pathology platform has been created.
Whether a slide is made for pathology (where a biopsy is taken and thin slices of tissue are cut out) or cytology (where just cells are taken), a pathologist usually analyses the images to determine whether or not the underlying condition is cancer. These slides are digitised by devices known as slide scanners, which have been around for a while, says Dr. Narayan.
He clarified that slide scanners work similarly to document scanners, producing digital images that may be transmitted to a pathologist with specialised training anywhere in the globe for interpretation.
However, the cost of these equipment is high.
"Even in a city like Bangalore, only a handful of big hospitals own such equipment because of the cost," the doctor noted, adding that the most expensive ones cost up to ₹1 crore or more.
The least expensive ones cost roughly ₹30 lakh.
A way to Digitalisation
The AI machine is a high-quality, reasonably priced device that is capable of doing the same tasks.
Because of its portability, we can move it to the patient's location. We can make the slide, digitize it, remove just the aberrant cells, and then remotely send the information to a pathologist so they can evaluate it. The technology uses artificial intelligence to detect aberrant cells and shrinks the file size to make it compatible with 3G or 4G mobile internet. By emphasising the most questionable cases for pathologists to examine first, it can also triage big batches of screenings. Time and effort are saved in this way says Dr. Subramanyam argues.
The two have been awarded a $2.4 million grant to develop this oral cancer screening methodology.
This will enable us to conduct effective and efficient population-level screening almost anywhere in the world. Since the technology functions essentially as a document scanner for cells, we intend to apply it to further tumours once it is constructed. The doctor said, "You will be able to interpret anything you put on the slide."
You will be able to interpret anything you put on the slide.Dr. Narayana Subramaniam, Head and Neck Surgical Oncologist, IISc Bangalore
According to Dr. Subramanyam, the accuracy of this prototype is currently at 85%.
In coming five years, they are looking to construct a sophisticated prototype, test it on 600 patients, and raise the sensitivity and specificity to more than 90% and intend to bring it to market in five years.2
To make the hardware ready for the market, this entails standardising it and acquiring certifications.
It is still a science project until then.
"We aim to partner with government and private entities to make it accessible to those who need it most," he stated.
"The benefits are obvious. It drastically cuts down on diagnostic time, to start. Furthermore, it is especially helpful in rural settings due to its portability and compatibility with mobile internet. Some state and federal government representatives have responded favorably to our initial outreach. During the testing and validation stage, we hope to consider their input. The ultimate objective is to enable everyone, particularly those who would not otherwise be able to afford it, to have access to affordable cancer screening, according to Dr. Subramayam.
Cooperation
"This project has been a collaborative effort," the doctor says, acknowledging the efforts of his staff. We've created several prototypes over the last six to seven years, frequently using our own funds. We now have the wherewithal to finish it thanks to this sizable donation. Our team's perseverance has gotten us this far, and we're hopeful that this innovation will have a significant impact," he said.
Reference:
1. National Institutes of Health (NIH). ‘National Institutes of Health (NIH)’. Accessed 8 February 2025. https://www.nih.gov/.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Vasudha Handa/MSM)