Medical technology innovator Oncotech Nordic AB has been awarded CE marking for the mobile health screening app, Ophtascan™, which is currently being trialled by doctors and patients in Central Africa, where there is huge demand for cancer screening and diagnosis. The new screening app is being used by Sigma Africa clinicians in the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Tanzania.
The Ophtascan™ mobile phone app works by a clinician taking a high resolution photographic image of the patient’s eyes, which is then analysed by Oncotech Nordic AB, making use of thousands of data sets.
The test is non-invasive, quick and requires minimal equipment, meaning that testing can take place in remote locations, far away from hospitals.
Developed since 2014 by Oncotech Nordic AB, Ophtascan™ is a mobile in-real-time detection system of pre-cancerous and all four levels of cancer conditions and targeted oncological diseases.
Clinicians can use their own smartphone devices, then photograph the iris of their patient, and upload the image to the Oncotech server. The Oncotech AI diagnostic and deep learning system then sends the results back to the clinician within just 25 seconds.
Andre Rafnsson, CEO of Oncotech said, “We are delighted to be partnering with the UK charity MedAid, which provides essential healthcare to the underprivileged in remote villages in Africa. The charity has been operating for over 20 years, providing high quality, healthcare infrastructure and services, significantly improving the lives of those living in many communities across Africa.”
Simon Henry Opio-Emuna, CEO at MedAid added, “As we aim to improve health outcomes in Africa, we are excited to be working with Oncotech, who’ve provided us with training support on how to use the app. It’s set to be a game-changer because it offers remote medical diagnosis at a very low cost per use, presenting excellent value to clinicians. It’s easy to screen large numbers of patients and the test only takes a matter of seconds.
Conditions currently clinically validated and screened include lung cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer and prostate cancer.”
Dr. John Paul Kaswija, a medical practitioner for Sigma Africa, a division of MedAid said, “Cancer survival rates are determined by a number of factors, and early detection is one of the most significant determinants. The diagnosis of cancer and type 2 diabetes can often be difficult because current healthcare systems require visits to hospitals, which is impractical for people in remote locations. In addition, most patients seek medical care when the disease is already advanced.