Indian startup develops AI-based blood test to detect 32 cancers early

Even as detecting cancer early remains key a Gurugrambased startup PredOmix has developed a novel blood test that can detect about 32 cancers in both men and women with 98 per cent accuracyThe companys OncoVeryxF is a patented technology that combines metabolomics study of small molecules and Artificial Intelligence AI to identify metabolite signatures of multiple cancers in a single testMetabolomics is a particularly suitable technique for cancer detection since metabolic reprogramming constitutes one of the hallmarks of cancer cells By using appropriate big data algorithms metabolite asignatures characteristic of cancer can be accurately extracted from the serum metabolome Dr Kanury VS Rao CoFounder amp Chief Scientific Officer CSO PredOmix told IANSThe test was first launched in 2022 and identified four major femalespecific malignancies in a single blood test breast endometrium cervix and ovary The company has now upgraded it to 32 cancers of both men and women that are notoriously difficult to otherwise detectThese are pancreatic cancer kidney cancer liver cancer brain cancer and sarcomas In addition to this cancers that cause the most deaths in India breast cancer cervical cancer stomach cancer lung cancer esophageal cancer oral cancer and prostate cancer are also coveredOncoVeryxF also aids in determining the presence or absence of cancer as well as the tissue of origin or cancer type the company saidThe development of this test will have a considerable impact on cancer mortality especially in situations when the early discovery of the disease might significantly improve treatment outcomesThis test will enable medical practitioners to detect cancer early leading to more effective treatment regimens and a higher chance of survival Rao saidCancer needs to be addressed immediately because it is the main cause of premature deaths worldwide and the best way to reduce cancerrelated mortality is still earlystage detection he noted adding that the current screening procedures can only detect a small number of cancersFor example while the accuracy of mammography for breast cancer screening is between 8095 per cent that of either the pap test or colonoscopy for cervical and colorectal cancer screening is only approximately 70 per centAdditionally each of these screening methods is intended to find just one specific form of cancer Symptoms that only manifest in the later stages of the disease still serve as the basis for the diagnosis of the remaining cancer types We recognise the need for better screening methods and are proud to announce the expansion of our current cancer screening test to a 32cancer test for both men and women including hardtodetect cancers for the Indian population Rao told IANSTo test their technology a field study was conducted with blood samples collected from over 4000 patients spread across different geographic regions of IndiaThe company said the results were excellent and the average detection accuracy was 98 per cent It has now filed a provisional international patent application with the World Intellectual Property Organisation WIPOClinical trials with over 10000 people in India have also been initiated by the company in order to validate the resultsThe company has presently has licence for their software as a medical device from the Central Drugs Standard Control OrganisationCurrently this is a laboratory developed test however we will be completing our Drug Controller General of India DCGI approved clinical trial in the next few months and plan to get DGCI approval soon the company saidThe test for women specific cancers is priced at Rs 12000 the company said adding that the cost would be different for the 32 cancers for men which is still under development and would be available later this yearAlso Read How sustainable are Indias digital health initiatives for the rural populationThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever