Research will focus on detecting early manifestations of cancer in all ethnicities.

MedCognetics, Inc., founded in  2019, announced on January 27, 2023 that it has received a $750,000 grant from the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity (AIM-AHEAD) for research in early breast cancer detection. MedCognetics has developed an unbiased advanced imaging algorithm that leverages AI and Machine Learning (ML) to detect the earliest manifestations of cancer in all ethnicities. The company is a subaward from the University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) at Fort Worth, Texas.

“One of the main reasons for establishing the AIM-AHEAD grant program is to address health inequities and disparities,” said Dr. Jamboor Vishwanatha, Regents Professor at the University of North Texas, Health Science Center at Fort Worth, TX and, the principal investigator of the AIM-AHEAD coordinating center. “We selected MedCognetics as one of our grant recipients because of its focus on developing technology aimed at addressing the data bias of historically ignored populations, especially regarding breast health and imaging. We are encouraged by the company’s initial success and look forward to collaborating towards the mutual goal of improved healthcare, prevention, diagnoses and overall better outcomes.”

MedCognetics was founded on research that originated from the Quality of Life Technology Laboratory at The University of Texas at Dallas. Its partnership with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) provided the clinical data that assisted in the validation of its unbiased AI algorithm.

The AIM-AHEAD program was created to close the gaps in the AI/ML field, which currently lacks diversity in its researchers and in data, including electronic health records (EHRs). These gaps pose a risk of creating and continuing harmful biases in how AI/ML is used, how algorithms are developed and trained, and how findings are interpreted. In the case of mammograms, its product reduces the amount of time a radiologist needs to review a case, by 30 to 50 percent, which directly translates into more saved lives. This is especially vital in underserved communities and areas of the world where medicine and diagnostic imaging are scarce.

“This is a prestigious honor and the recognition validates MedCognetics’ mission to provide unbiased AI-enabled healthcare services around the world,” said Debasish Nag, chief executive officer, MedCognetics, Inc. “The future of AI in healthcare is providing unbiased services and improving cost and efficiency in medical facilities. We are developing the technology that will unequivocally reduce burnout in the radiology community and in turn, improve patient outcomes across diverse populations. This NIH grant will play an important role in future product development as well as helping us further expand our global market penetration.”

Source: BUSINESS WIRE