Delhi AIIMS, C-DAC Pune's AI platform gets global spotlight at BRICS Summit

New Delhi: An Indian AI platform being developed to support cancer care has received global recognition at the BRICS Summit, with iOncology.ai featured in a special issue of The BRICS Health Journal. The platform is being developed by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and C-DAC Pune.

The platform is designed to help doctors with early cancer detection, risk assessment, treatment planning and multidisciplinary review by bringing together different types of clinical data. It is being developed with support from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

A review titled “Transforming cancer care in emerging economies: India’s AI innovation”, authored by researchers from AIIMS New Delhi and C-DAC Pune, examines the potential of AI to improve cancer screening, early diagnosis and access to specialist care in emerging economies. 

The review notes that BRICS countries account for more than 40% of the world's population, with around 9 million new cancer cases and 4.66 million cancer deaths. It also highlights significant differences in access to screening, early diagnosis and specialist cancer services across these countries.

iOncology.ai is being developed using curated Indian clinical, radiological and histopathological datasets. The developers plan to incorporate genetic information and enable integration with electronic health-record systems.

The platform is being positioned within India's wider cancer-control and digital-health infrastructure, including population screening, cancer surveillance, tertiary care and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.

Speaking to TOI, Dr Ashok Sharma said India could demonstrate how locally developed AI solutions can help address disparities in cancer care across the Global South. ''Through BRICS collaboration, our focus should be on strengthening cancer prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and therapy through evidence-based, interoperable solutions tailored to the needs of emerging economies,” he said.

He added that the aim was to support clinicians and enable earlier and more equitable cancer care, particularly in resource-constrained settings. 

However, iOncology.ai is still at the pilot and clinical-validation stage. It has not yet been established as a clinically validated diagnostic or treatment tool. 

The platform is currently being evaluated to assess its performance and potential use in clinical settings. Peer-reviewed evidence establishing its diagnostic accuracy, clinical utility or effectiveness in routine care is not yet available. Prospective multicentre validation will be required before wider clinical implementation.