“This test will enable medical practitioners to detect cancer early"
An Indian startup has developed an AI-based blood test that can detect cancer early.
PredOmix has created a cutting-edge blood test that has 98 per cent accuracy and can identify roughly 32 cancers in both men and women.
The company’s patented OncoVeryx-F technology combines metabolomics (the study of tiny molecules) with artificial intelligence to detect the metabolite signatures of various cancers in a single test.
Dr Kanury Rao, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of PredOmix, shared the process of how AI is transforming healthcare:
“Metabolomics 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 signatures characteristic of cancer can be accurately extracted from the serum metabolome.”
The breasts, endometrium, cervix and ovaries were the first four main female-specific cancers to be detected by the test, which was initially introduced in 2022.
The test can now identify 32 cancers in both men and women, many of which are notoriously difficult to identify through other means.
This includes sarcomas, kidney, liver, brain and pancreatic cancers.
Additionally, the most common malignancies in India that result in death, including breast, cervical, stomach, lung, oesophagal, oral and prostate cancers, are discussed.
According to the manufacturer, OncoVeryx-F also helps identify the type of cancer, the tissue from where it originated, and whether or not there is cancer present.
On the development of the AI blood test, Dr Kanury Rao said:
“The 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 outcomes.
“This test will enable medical practitioners to detect cancer early, leading to more effective treatment regimens and a higher chance of survival.
“Cancer needs to be addressed immediately because it is the main cause of premature deaths worldwide, and the best way to reduce cancer-related mortality is still early-stage detection.
“For example, while the accuracy of mammography for breast cancer screening is between 80-95 per cent, that of either the pap test or colonoscopy for cervical and colorectal cancer screening is only approximately 70 per cent.
“Additionally, 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 32-cancer test for both men and women, including hard-to-detect cancers for the Indian population.”
Blood samples from approximately 4,000 patients all over India were obtained for a field trial to test the technology.
According to the company, the average detection accuracy was 98 per cent and the results were “excellent”.
A provisional international patent application has since been submitted to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
The company has also started clinical trials with over 10,000 people in India to help validate the findings.
The company currently has a licence from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation for their software to be used “as a medical device”.
They said: “Currently, 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 test for cancers particular to women costs Rs 12,000 (£117).
The company added that the pricing will alter for the 32 cancers, which are “still under development and would be available later this year”.
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