AI-based cervical cancer screening system to help prevent and combat cervical cancer in Bolivia

AIDOT (CEO Jeong Jae-hoon) announced on the 21st that it was finally selected on October 18 for the 2022–2023 KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) Creative Technology Solution (CTS) program.

This program applies the innovative ideas and technologies of startups and social venture innovators to official development assistance (ODA) in order to help find solutions to development-cooperation challenges that are difficult to solve with conventional methods, and to improve the effectiveness of development cooperation projects. Through this selection, AIDOT’s AI-based cervical cancer screening system “Cerviray (Cerviray A.I.)” can be utilized to help prevent cervical cancer among women in Bolivia in South America.

Bolivia is described as the country with the most serious cervical cancer situation in South America. The incidence rate of cervical cancer is 36.6 per 100,000 people, which ranks first among cancers affecting Bolivian women.

Under Bolivia’s national health policy, cervical cytology tests are provided free of charge. However, due to insufficient training, the misdiagnosis rate for collected samples reaches 80%, and because of a shortage of laboratories and pathologists, it takes 3–4 months to receive results—meaning cervical cancer screening is not being carried out properly.

AIDOT’s global sales and marketing representative said, “Bolivia lacks medical infrastructure, and due to geographic disadvantages, cytology and HPV testing are not suitable. Meanwhile, existing VIA screening methods are limited due to the capabilities of medical staff or the shortage of interpreting physicians,” adding, “Cerviray, which supports clinicians’ interpretation through VIA AI and can remotely connect to specialist interpretation in major cities, can be the answer.”

The representative added, “Unlike other products that show results through simple binary classification, Cerviray is a medical device for which clinical effectiveness has been confirmed through obtaining medical device certification for the AI software,” and said, “It can be used in the most appropriate way for cervical cancer screening in Bolivia.”

Jeong Yeon-jun, director at AIDOT and the overall manager of this project, said, “Entering Bolivia through KOICA will be a signal flare for developing the South American market,” adding, “By distributing Cerviray simultaneously across many South American countries suffering from cervical cancer, we will become a meaningful business that can save lives.”

Published: October 21, 2022 / Pharmnews / Reporter Lee Kwon-gu