Dr Jayaraj P B, associate professor, NIT Calicut, who led the team, talking about the invention, said, “Our team first focused on urine cytology screening, particularly the identification of cells and microscopic features relevant to urinary bladder cancer screening”.
But the researchers see possibilities far beyond urine samples. With suitable training, the underlying imaging and AI architecture could be adapted for cervical cytology, blood smears, histopathology slides and a range of other cytology and pathology applications, he added.
Dr Jayaraj further said, “By bringing AI closer to the microscope itself, our team is trying to make medical image analysis faster, less laborious and more consistent — while keeping the final clinical judgement firmly in the hands of medical professionals.”
The project brings together expertise from engineering, artificial intelligence and medicine. It was supported under the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. The technology is now being positioned for a journey beyond the laboratory. Its commercialisation is planned through HealForge AI Private Limited, a company incubated at the Technology Business Incubator (TBI), NIT Calicut. The objective is to translate the research prototype into a deployable AI-assisted microscopy solution for clinical and laboratory use.
The inventors behind the system are Arathy Menon N P, research scholar, NIT Calicut; Dr Jayaraj P B, associate professor, NIT Calicut; Dr Pournami P N, associate professor, NIT Calicut; Dr Simi S, assistant professor, department of pathology, Government Medical College, Kozhikode; and Dr Swathy Shanker, assistant professor, department of pathology, KMCT Medical College, Kozhikode.
Leave a Reply