Mumbai University to tie up with hospitals to develop AI model

Mumbai: Mumbai University will be collaborating with city hospitals to develop artificial intelligence (AI) models that can help in the early detection and management of diseases, mainly in women. As part of this AI in healthcare initiative, the university aims to substantially reduce the disease load and increase the percentage of screenings.

It will help in providing AI-based solutions to the healthcare sector with inputs from domain experts in these hospitals. While it has already tied up with hospitals such as the Tata Memorial Hospital and Nanavati, this network will be broad-based in the future for better outcomes.

The collaboration with hospitals will help the university's centre to get access to patients' case studies, which will be used by them to develop AI models. "The focus will be on diseases and conditions common in women. For instance, in many cases, stress levels are the primary cause of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The AI model can help us understand different factors influencing the condition in women, be it the stress factor, the lifestyle, or the diet. We intend to collect the data, analyse it, see if there's a pattern with the help of domain experts from these hospitals, and then develop the model that can help in early detection and preventive measures," said MU's R Srivaramangai, who is heading the project.

The project kickstarted with some funds allocated by the university under the PM-USHA scheme, but the centre is exploring additional funding opportunities from govt agencies and industry support. The plan for early detection of certain cancers like breast cancer, cervical cancer or even tuberculosis, using the AI model, is in the pipeline, said Faruk Kazi, director of MU's research and development cell.

He said that at a later stage their centre hopes to also study the region-wise pattern of outbreaks of different diseases in the state to ensure that the health infrastructure is equipped to deal with it, for instance, the timely and equitable supply of medicines.

Currently, the centre has access to global data in the open source and they are hoping to tie up with more hospitals in the future to enhance local, region-specific data, said Kazi, adding that IIT-Bombay is also working on similar objectives and they plan to collaborate with them. The university recently also signed an MoU with Purdue University and Saint Louis University for the project.