Medical science and technology are making rapid progress today, but bacteria and fungi refuse to stay behind! The 20th century or earlier diseases affecting mankind are nothing as compared to the illnesses affecting us today. Bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms are getting smarter just like our treatments today. They have evolved themselves too to resist the medications meant to kill them, leading to a horrific situation of microbial resistance!
Imagine a world where one cannot treat any of the common diseases like pneumonia, TB, gonorrhea or salmonellosis because the germs causing these illnesses have outsmarted the drugs administered to abolish them! One such teething issue faced by the medical experts was in the case of TB – Tuberculosis. In many patients, antimicrobial resistance to TB drugs was leading to increased medical expenses, prolonged hospital stays and failure to cure the illness.
Working on this increasingly difficult issue, Delhi-based Aarogya AI Innovations Pvt. Ltd., developed a method of detecting drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) using Artificial Intelligence in a few hours. This helped thousands of patients to get effective drug treatment for their illnesses without any delay. Their innovative treatment is quite affordable and vows to bring a revolutionary change in the medical field. Read on further to know more about their AI-based innovation and their success story.
About the Company
Aarogya AI, headquartered in Bangalore, India, is founded by Praapti Jayaswal, PhD – Co-Founder and CEO. The company was founded on May 2019 and has an employee strength of 10 currently. Avlokita Tiwari is the co-founder and CTO of the company. The CEO’s intentions are motivating as she summarizes her agenda in these few lines in her LinkedIn profile –
‘We’ve got to stand together to combat AMR, which is on the rise!
All guns blazing at AarogyaAI, to stay ahead in the war against pathogens!’
In a blog written for the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), the issue of antimicrobial resistance has been termed as a probable new pandemic around the corner. Many companies are working to find a solution to this. Aarogya AI has created quite a buzz with its innovative approach to the issue. It makes it possible to quickly and accurately diagnose DR-TB so that the patient can immediately begin treatment with the appropriate effective drug combinations. Additionally, the test can specify the drugs and determine whether or not they would be effective for the patient. The goal is to offer this test at reasonable pricing even in the most remote locations.
In Bengaluru, Genotypic and CCAMP, in Delhi, Lifeline Laboratories, the Indian Spinal Injuries Center, and Sir Gangaram Hospital, as well as Mumbai’s Foundation of Medical Research and IQVIA, they have already acquired the data and formed collaborations. Aarogya.AI in the next stage of development for the business, will also be developing tests for additional anti-microbial ailments like cholera and urinary tract infections.
Vision and Agenda
The goal of AarogyaAI® is to use artificial intelligence and genomics to make antibiotic-resistance precision diagnostics available at the point of care. The goal is to stop the occurrence and spread of illnesses that are resistant to antibiotics and to always be one step ahead of the bacteria. AI aids in uncovering patterns of medication resistance in the future so that preventative measures can be taken to stop the next pandemic.
Beginning in 2019, the emphasis was on Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis diagnosis that was accurate. (DR-TB). A third of the world’s TB cases come from India, a condition made worse by the advent of medication resistance. This problem cannot be solved by the capital- and labor-intensive diagnostic infrastructure already in place.
A diagnostic pipeline supported by next-generation sequencing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) was developed in response to the demand for a more thorough and quick drug susceptibility test (DST).
Within 24 to 48 hours, the pipeline produces a patient-specific medication susceptibility report for each of the existing anti-TB drugs. An extensive library of TB sample data was created in order to create a more reliable algorithm. Our AI is then able to monitor and foresee the emergence of medication resistance as a result.
Main Product – AAICare – TB
Combining whole genome targeted analysis with artificial intelligence Comprehensive drug susceptibility reports are produced by AAICareTM – TB for drug-resistant tuberculosis. (DR-TB).
Features:
- Comprehensive drug resistance analysis
AAICareTM – TB creates a phylogenetic tree to help explain the evolution of the pathogens and predicts resistance mutations, heteroresistance, and lineage for 19 medications.
- Rapid and Effective Detection
Using a trustworthy detection pipeline and technologies like batch processing, an easy-to-use interface, and sequencing machine compatibility, AAICareTM – TB generates results in hours rather than weeks.
- Pathogen Stain Identification
All pathogens found in the patient sample can be identified by AAICareTM – TB, including Mycobacterium and Mycobacteria other than Tuberculosis.
Business Model and Revenue Streams
Aarogya AI’s business model is all about providing AI-powered medical diagnosis to clinics and hospitals. The startup, which was established in 2019 by scientists Praapti Jayaswal and Avlokita Tiwari, has developed a SaaS (software-as-a-service) platform where patients can upload the DNA sequence of the bacteria infecting them, also known as genome sequencing. This data is then analyzed using a machine learning (ML) algorithm and AI to produce a report outlining the patient’s full drug susceptibility status.
It involves a list of medications and medicine combinations that the patient will and won’t respond to. Then, using the findings of the report, medical professionals can recommend a stronger combination of antibiotics, considerably reducing the length of the course of treatment to less than six months.
It charges clinics and hospitals for access to their platform on a per-patient basis. Aarogya AI also generates revenue by conducting consulting services to clinics and hospitals by integrating AI.
Funding Rounds and Investors
In its initial fundraising round, Redstart Labs and Avaana Capital, both of which are supported by Info Edge (India), contributed $700,000 (about Rs 5.2 crore). (Seed Program). Entrepreneur First (EF) and First In Ventures, already investors, also participated in the round. According to co-founder and CEO Praapti Jayaswal, the money was mostly utilized for research and development (R&D), team growth, validation, and pilot deployments. As of today, the company has raised a total funding of $250k.
Competitors
Aarogya AI is facing tough competition from companies like Apervita, Komodo Health, and Corrona. Other possible competitors include Cognism, Navina, and Tungee.
Final Words
A powerful leap in medical science and technology, Aarogya AI has successfully completed a milestone few others thought of. It has created an astonishing innovation, capable of nipping in the bud a teething medical issue. The company is planning to come up with a few other developments in the coming future, details of which are not yet disclosed.