World Cancer Day – Top 4 Indian Startups Fighting Cancer with AI

Cancer continues to be the second most common disease in India which is responsible for maximum mortality with about 0.3 million deaths per year. While the rate of various types of cancers being reported by the Indian population is increasing, there are some emerging startups using Artificial intelligence as a vital tool to tackle this malignant.
These Startups use a combination of artificial intelligence and machine learning to deliver personalized treatment to cancer patients. On this International World Cancer Day, let us have a look at such top 4 Indian start-ups trying to revolutionize cancer therapy.

1. Niramai : Niramai -“Non-Invasive Risk Assessment with Machine Intelligence” is a Bangalore-based startup which provides breast cancer screening solution. It was founded in the year 2016 by Geetha Manjunatha and Nidhi Mathurthat. Niramai is developing a novel software to detect breast cancer at a much earlier stage than traditional methods or self-examination and thus provides a low cost and accurate solution. They use technology and AI/ML algorithms to help women detect breast cancer at an early stage, giving them a better chance of surviving the disease. The core of NIRAMAI solution is Thermalytix, the computer-aided diagnostic engine that is powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning models. Its SaaS solution uses big data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning for breast cancer screening.

Read more about Niramai – https://www.niramai.com

2. AiNDRA – Founded by Adarsh Natarajan (CEO) and Abhishek Mishra in 2012, AiNDRA’s first product CervAstra is aimed at automating the detection of cervical cancer, an illness which causes more deaths in India than in any other nation. CervAstra is built using ASTRA – their core computational pathology platform. ASTRA is a powerful platform that can be extended to build detection tools for a number of critical illnesses. Astra has been designed to be extended to various other critical illnesses. 
In order to fight morbidity and mortality due to cervical cancer, this startup has developed an advanced AI powered Cervical Cancer Detection System to facilitate early diagnosis. This system is a suite of 3 products which works cohesively to obtain quick and accurate test results.
Read more about AiNDRA – https://www.aindra.in/

3. OncoStem Diagnostics – Founded in 2011 by Manjiri Bakre, this startup uses machine learning algorithms to help in personalized cancer treatment. OncoStem aims to develop innovative tests to personalize treatment for cancer patients. Understanding of tumor biology aids physicians in optimizing therapy for cancer patients. They utilize gold-standard protein or gene expression techniques and combine them with a deep learning approach. CanAssist Breast is a prognostic test for early-stage breast cancer patients. CanAssist Breast predicts cancer recurrence in hormone-positive patients of initial few stages. They then perform the test by analyzing five protein biomarkers and computing risk of recurrence using proprietary machine learning algorithm. 

Read more about OncoStem Diagnostics – https://www.oncostem.com/

4. Sascan – Sascan is a developing technology that can accurately detects early and pre-cancerous squamous cell lesions that constitute one-third of all cancer cases globally. Founded in 2015 by Dr Subhash Narayanan and Dr Ruhi Agarwala, Sascan’s multispectral camera is a non-invasive and real-time solution to screen and detect cancer cells in the mouth. Its camera takes images of the inside of the mouth with illumination at different wavelengths of light. Their proprietary imaging technology accurately detects these differences to diagnose cancerous lesions.
Read more about Sascan – http://www.sascan.in/

AI has immense potential in the field of medicine. AI is soon anticipated to enhance the quality of care, improve clinical outcomes and drive operational efficiency. AI is certainly going to reach the stage where it will soon be considered a miracle in diagnosis of cancer.