Indore, Oct 9 (PTI) The IIT Indore has developed a compact device for early detection of breast cancer, especially among women in rural and remote areas, at an “incredibly” affordable cost, an institute official said on Wednesday.
The official said that this device, developed by Prof Srivathsan Vasudevan of the Department of Electrical Engineering of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, aims at saving the lives of patients by detecting breast cancer in its early stages.
The device is based on the principle of Photoacoustic Spectral Response (PASR), which combines optical and acoustic signals to detect abnormal tissue changes. “It is incredibly affordable, reducing the cost to approximately one-tenth of the price of traditional diagnostic methods (after its commercial production),” the official said.
IIT Indore’s Director Suhas Joshi said most diagnostic tools used in India, such as MRI and CT scanners, are imported and expensive, making them inaccessible to a large portion of the population.
“By developing a cost-effective and indigenous cancer screening device, IIT Indore is addressing a critical need in the healthcare system. The device has the potential to significantly improve cancer detection in rural and underserved areas, where early diagnosis can make a life-saving difference,” he said.
Prof Vasudevan said that the heart of the device lies in its ability to distinguish between cancerous and non-cancerous tissues. A compact pulsed laser diode (PLD) is used to generate light, which interacts with the tissue. The response is then analysed to identify whether the tissue is normal, benign, or malignant.
This cost-effective screening tool is designed to reduce the need for expensive diagnostic methods and is particularly useful for breast cancer screening, as it can differentiate between malignant tumours, fibrocystic changes, and normal breast tissue,” he said. PTI HWP ADU NR
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.