ISHIC partners with Jammu health authorities to combat lung cancer using AI

The India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre (ISHIC) and its partner AstraZeneca India have announced a collaboration with the Directorate of Health Services in Jammu, India, to integrate AI technology into the primary healthcare settings for lung cancer detection.

According to World Cancer Research Fund, there were around 18.1 million people diagnosed with cancer globally in 2020, with lung cancer being the second most common type of cancer. The high prevalence of lung cancer highlights the need to address this disease in a collaborative and innovative way.

“We are delighted to initiate this first project in Jammu towards early screening and diagnosis of lung diseases in the state,” Swedish Trade Commissioner to India Cecilia Oskarsson said, as quoted by The Financial Express.

“We look forward to supporting the start-up ecosystem and the states towards building an innovative ecosystem in the country.”

Mumbai-based startup Qure.ai supplies the AI-powered chest X-ray interpretation tool for the program. The tool enables healthcare professionals to easily detect lung cancer in its early stage by detecting lung nodules in under sixty seconds, minimising the chance that lung cancer goes undetected.

Qure.ai CEO Prashant Warier explained that AstraZeneca had been helping the startup introduce its product worldwide. Qure.ai has conducted around 170,000 scans across 25 countries, finding malignant risk lung nodules in 1.6 percent of the scans.

AstraZeneca India president and managing director Sanjeev Panchal said the project helped India move closer to its goal of eliminating mortalities caused by cancer.

About ISHIC

ISHIC is a tripartite collaboration between the Swedish Trade Commissioner’s Office, the All India Institute Of Medical Science (AIIMS) Delhi, and AAIMS Jodhpur. The centre aims to identify, mentor, and integrate innovative healthcare solutions that align with India’s health priorities.

In addition to AstraZeneca India, ISHIC has also formed partnerships with the country’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

As of today, ISHIC has mentored more than 37 promising startups that focus on enhancing the accessibility and delivery of healthcare in India.