The new technology has been launched as part of a cervical cancer prevention campaign across six African countries. The company behind the platform is the nonprofit Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon, and the organization has been working with local health clinics on special screening as well as education events.
The new platform consists of an optical accessory that fits onto a Android smartphone and optimizes the device’s camera. The clip-on attachment is called the EVA (enhanced visual assessment) Scope. The enhanced optics can be used by healthcare professionals for examining women for early signs of cervical cancer. An early diagnosis allows treatment to be given, boosting considerably a woman’s chances of survival. The optical device transforms an everyday camera into a colposcope, which is a a medical diagnostic device designed to provide an illuminated, magnified view of the cervix and surrounding tissues.
The device is being further enhanced through the integration of artificial intelligence, designed to guide the healthcare worker through the diagnostic process. The AI platform is built on deep neural networks, so-called because the computing scheme is modeled on the brain’s interconnected neurons. With this the software gradually ‘learns’ the signs and symptoms of a specific disease (in this case, cervical cancer) and improves, with trial-and-error learning, as a diagnostic aid over time.
The need for such technology is clear: in less-developed regions, breast and cervical cancers are the most frequent cancers among women. The most recent figures point to 236,000 deaths, worldwide, from cervical cancer. each year
The not-for-profit investment in the African continent follows the announcement that the Canadian government will contribute $125 million to a Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy. The funding is intended for research, and also aims for Canada to become the world leader in artificial intelligence and technology. The use of AI in healthcare could quickly become a boon for patients on the African continent and tech innovators in Canada.
READ MORE: Canada launches multi-million Artificial Intelligence Strategy
The new optic for the cancer screening was developed by an Israeli technology firm, and it is called MobileODT (optical detection technologies). Use of the device is being championed by the charitable organization Global Good, which itself is a collaborative effort between Bill Gates and the Bellevue, Washington–based company Intellectual Ventures. According to the developers, the technology is focused on prevention, as they write: “Screening exams can reveal the early warning signs of the disease, which typically takes 10 to 15 years to progress to a dangerous stage. So health professionals have a tremendous opportunity to diagnose and treat this potential killer.”
This development comes in a similar vein to the work of Manu Prakash, a bio-engineer based at Stanford University. Prakash has begun designing low-cost technology to help out scientists and technologists in the poorest parts of the world. His latest device is a simple malaria detection kit, designed for use in Africa.
READ MORE: Communities using technology to improve education in Africa
