"We are expanding our presence in the US, Africa and the Middle East"

27th June, 2024

Pune-based startup DeepTek is a leading company developing artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that empower healthcare professionals to improve early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of various medical conditions. Their flagship platform, Augmento, seamlessly integrates AI tools into existing radiology workflows, while Genki, another AI solution, focuses on lung health screening in resource-limited settings, particularly tuberculosis (TB). Ritika Taki, Director, Strategic Projects, DeepTek spoke to Medtech Spectrum in detail about how the startup is tackling the growing burden of TB in India, and also shared plans about the company' current projects and future plans.

How are DeepTek.ai's innovations spearheading India's TB eradication goal by 2025? What major plans are in store in this regard this year?

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health challenge in India, a country burdened with a vast and diverse population, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, and socio-economic issues. Traditional diagnostic methods involve conducting scans at screening centers or mobile units, with radiologists interpreting the scans later. Suspected patients then undergo confirmatory sputum testing. This process is time-consuming, causing delays in diagnosis and increasing TB transmission due to its highly contagious nature. Delays also heighten the risk of patients being lost to follow-up, exacerbating the spread of TB.

DeepTek.ai's AI-powered lung screening solution Genki, is playing a vital role in India's TB eradication efforts. Genki is powered by a US FDA-cleared Chest X-ray AI Solution which identifies TB suspects within a minute from a population; screening people for further confirmatory tests. This reduces the burden on rather expensive RTCPR tests in turn reducing the cost associated with these tests. This rapid evaluation empowers on-ground teams to promptly collect sputum samples from presumptive TB cases, ensuring swift intervention without needing an onsite radiologist. By providing immediate results, Genki reduces the delay between screening and diagnosis, minimizing the risk of patients being lost to follow-up and reducing TB transmission. Genki has revolutionized TB detection, especially in resource-limited settings, as it operates locally without internet connectivity, making it ideal for remote areas and also with a provision to sync data on a cloud/server.

DeepTek's solution has screened over 500,000 people, resulting in a 25-fold increase in the detection of TB patients in India, and APAC and scaling rapidly in other parts of the world.

Genki can be deployed in hospitals, health centers, mobile X-ray vans, and even with handheld X-ray machines in remote areas. It can screen over 200 people per day in a camp, increasing throughput by six times compared to traditional methods. Already leveraged across 100+ sites in the Asia-Pacific region, we plan to expand Genki's presence across Africa this year, where TB is a major concern and challenges are numerous. We have partnered with local companies to facilitate Genki's distribution, aiming to significantly impact TB detection and treatment in these high-burden regions.

What are the major challenges facing the TB diagnosis market in India? How can those challenges be addressed?

The TB diagnosis market in India faces several major challenges, including high costs of advanced diagnostic tests, such as the Xpert® MTB/RIF assay, which are often inaccessible in low-resource settings due to their expense and the required infrastructure like reliable electricity and temperature control. Additionally, the predominance of the private sector, which accounts for 68% of the market, leads to underreporting and inconsistent data on TB prevalence and treatment outcomes. Reliance on sputum smear microscopy, which has limitations in sensitivity and specificity, further complicates accurate TB diagnosis. Infrastructure and accessibility issues, particularly in rural and underserved areas, exacerbate these challenges, along with significant variability in diagnostic practices between the public and private sectors.

Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach. Subsidizing the costs of diagnostic tests through government and international funding can make advanced diagnostics more accessible, while public-private partnerships can help distribute financial burdens. Strengthening public health infrastructure by investing in laboratory facilities, training healthcare personnel, and expanding diagnostic centers can improve access and accuracy. Enhancing the capabilities of public health labs and integrating diagnostic services into primary healthcare can reduce reliance on the private sector. National TB control programmes should standardize diagnostic protocols and include advanced diagnostic methods to improve detection rates. Promoting local research and development of cost-effective diagnostic tools, along with innovations like point-of-care diagnostics, can further address these challenges and improve India's TB diagnosis landscape.

Can India execute a successful PPP model to eradicate TB? Are you partnering with different state governments to improve TB diagnosis?

Absolutely. Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models are essential for achieving the ambitious goal of eradicating TB in India. Government bodies, technology providers like DeepTek, and infrastructure providers such as modality companies are already collaborating effectively to implement successful PPP programs nationwide.

For example, we have worked extensively with government entities such as the Greater Chennai Corporation and the Tamil Nadu State TB Department on TB screening programs in partnership with global organizations like USAID, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), and the WHO. We have recently deployed in over 70 sites in the states of Haryana, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Pondicherry, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi, UP and Bihar. One of the best examples of the PPP programme is where IOCL, a Public Corporation- donated 22 hand-held X-ray machines powered by DeepTek’s AI solution for TB screening to State TB Cell Haryana to be utilized in districts for active case finding. These collaborations aim to deploy advanced technology in high TB burden areas, significantly improving TB diagnosis and bringing us closer to a TB-free world.

Are you planning to launch new products, or any new collaboration, investment in the pipeline in 2024? Please share more details about the company's global expansion.

DeepTek is poised for significant expansion and innovation over the next 1-3 years. Following our successful $10M Series A funding in 2022, led by Tata Capital Healthcare Fund, our focus has been on global growth, scalability, and cutting-edge advancements in healthcare AI. With a plan to close another round of funding, we aim to solidify our position as a leading provider of AI solutions for Chest X-ray Reporting (Augmento X-ray) and lung health screening (Genki). DeepTek has a strong presence in India and the APAC region and now we are expanding our presence in the US, Africa and the Middle East.

DeepTek has a strong market position in the TB screening business globally. WHO and the UN have a target of eradicating TB by 2030. There are large projects rolled out for TB screening across various countries. DeepTek plans to roll out in each TB Burden country with its end-to-end solution and help in making the world a TB-free place.

Additionally, our AI-powered solutions can save radiologists significant time where annually, 1.5 billion Chest X-rays (CXRs) are performed worldwide, but the workforce to manage this workload is insufficient, even in developed countries allowing them to prioritize more complex cases. DeepTek’s Augmento X-Ray has demonstrated the ability to reduce radiologist workload by 30-50%, efficiently distinguishing between suspicious and non-suspicious chest radiographs, addressing backlogs, and improving workflow. In the United States, we recently received FDA clearance for our Radiology AI deployment platform, Augmento, and the Chest X-ray AI solution. We are prepared to make a significant impact by offering comprehensive chest area coverage, providing detailed analyses for lung, pleura, cardiac findings, and detecting foreign bodies and hardware in the US and Europe.

Dr Manbeena Chawla

manbeena.chawla@mmactiv.com