This technology will strengthen healthcare systems using artificial intelligence to improve the diagnosis of Neglected Tropical Diseases in vulnerable populations.
The Spanish start-up SpotLab is developing artificial intelligence (AI) with impact in the clinical field, supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Through the creation and integration of algorithms in mobile technologies, the aim is to improve the diagnosis of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in vulnerable populations and thus strengthen health systems.
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are a group of 20 diseases affecting more than one billion people today, most of them in vulnerable situations. As recommended by the WHO in its Roadmap 2030, there is a need to develop new innovative approaches to achieve maximum efficiency and scalability in the diagnosis of these diseases by developing reliable, sensitive, and easy-to-use diagnostic tools based on artificial intelligence.
The research aims to create a library of AI models for diagnostics in clinical settings using data acquired with mobile devices with the goal of improving healthcare coverage.
The systems developed will be based on Edge-AI technologies, allowing all AI models generated to be integrated into mobile devices so that they can be run at the patient’s location. Without an internet connection, real-time, quality AI-based diagnostics will be provided.
These models can help quantify parasites such as soil-transmitted helminths, filariae, schistosomiasis, and other relevant structures related to the diagnosis of NTDs from microscopy images and videos of blood, urine, and stool samples.
This technology proposes the design and development of multimodal artificial intelligence models – trained with different types of data: images, videos, audio, and other types of signals – and integrating them into mobile devices to diagnose these NTDs diseases in real-time and from anywhere. This way, access to quality healthcare will be expanded and more people will benefit from this diagnostic system.
Have a look at the grantee’s information:
SpotLab
SpotLab is a social enterprise that seeks to democratise access to quality diagnostics by bringing artificial intelligence to diseases that are not yet in the digital world. To make this possible, we use exponential and affordable technologies – smartphones, AI and 3D printing – to reduce the time, cost, distance and CO2 footprint of medical diagnostics. Our technology is present in Europe, Latin America and Africa. For more information, visit us at https://spotlab.ai/