Saanvi Mehra, a class XII student from The Shriram Millennium School, Noida, has done ground-breaking clinical research to identify Down Syndrome in early stages through an AI-powered App by using a photograph.
This research has been highly acclaimed and awarded with some of the most prestigious accolades and has also published in some of the most reputed medical journals. The winner of “The Young Investigator Award at The European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP)”; at the EAPS Congress 2022 in Barcelona, Spain, Saanvi Mehra has opened the gateway to more ground-breaking work in the area of early detection and management of Down syndrome. Her research work stood out amongst thousands of research papers submitted by postgraduate doctors (MD / DM) and medical students from across the world. The prestigious award also carries a Euro 1500 cash award.
Leveraging the penetration of smartphones in India, Saanvi, along with her partner Aarna Malhotra, has successfully integrated the machine learning model and AI in a mobile application that can be used by parents / ASHA workers, paramedics, and doctors whereby just by clicking the picture of the baby, Down Syndrome can be detected with a remarkable accuracy of over 96 per cent. The result of early detection is not just a reduction in mortality rate of these children but also a better lifestyle due to timely treatment. “I look forward to working closely with doctors and paediatricians so we can save and help as many children as possible,” says Saanvi.
This project has won several awards and recognition, including Google Code to Learn (National Winner), IRIS (Top 100 projects in India), and Technovation (Top 5 Apps in India). A patent has been filed to protect intellectual property, and Saanvi hopes that this technology will be free to millions of parents, saving the lives of tens of millions of children.This is a unique example of combining technology with medicine with ground breaking results. AI/ML Foundation for Health:The AIML4Health Foundation is a public, charitable trust created by Saanvi to leverage technology for innovations in medicine. The objectives of this foundation are to: fund clinical trial and validation of the projects undertaken using AI/ML; undertake pan-India implementation and Institute an award to encourage children to Ideate, Innovate and Implement Cutting-Edge Technologies for Solving Problems – With A Focus On Rural India.
The trust also received Ethics Committee approval to carry forward clinical validation for Down Syndrome Detection Project. Subject to successful clinical validation, the Trust will support the subsequent rollout and adoption of the mobile app/technology throughout India. This will require participation of both public and private sector participants, including District Administration, ASHA workers, government and private hospitals, etc.