Affordable AI-guided all-in-one cervical cancer screening and treatment tool for low- and middle-income countries
Official title: A novel, one stop, affordable, point of care and artificial intelligence supported system of screening, triage and treatment selection for cervical cancer and precancer in the LMICs
Funded at International Agency for Res on Cancer · NIH-11403712 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses AI to screen women with a urine test and cervical photos to find high-risk HPV and guide same-visit triage and treatment decisions in low-resource settings.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | International Agency for Res on Cancer NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Lyon, France) |
| Project start | August 15, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $91,214 |
| NIH project number | 3R37CA275824-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11403712 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women of screening age in low- and middle-income countries who have not recently received cervical cancer screening are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without a cervix, those already treated for cervical cancer, or individuals outside the study regions are unlikely to benefit from participation.
What this research studies
If you take part, you would give a urine sample and have cervical images taken with a dedicated camera so an AI can look for high-risk HPV and signs of precancer. The team will use infrared spectroscopy on urine to flag HPV and an AI algorithm to read cervical photos to detect high-grade precancers and determine the transformation zone for treatment planning. The researchers already have a prototype camera and AI models and will improve them in the first two years and run larger validation work over the next three years. The work is focused on clinics in low- and middle-income countries where screening access is limited.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could provide fast, low-cost screening and help clinicians decide treatment at the point of care, potentially reducing cervical cancer in underserved areas.
How similar studies have gone: AI image-based cervical screening has shown promising results and preliminary urine spectroscopy work detected high-risk HPV, but combining both approaches for triage and treatment selection is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
International Agency for Res on Cancer
Lyon, France Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Basu, Partha — International Agency for Res on Cancer
- Study coordinator: Basu, Partha
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Community and digital tools to reduce HPV and cervical cancer burden
A nurse or health team will test a community-based, digital strategy to help girls and young women, especially in rural areas, get HPV vaccination and cervical cancer prevention services.
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Community and digital tools to reduce HPV and cervical cancer in women with HIV
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mSaada: a mobile tool to boost cervical cancer screening in western Kenya
A mobile app helps community health volunteers manage cervical cancer screening tasks and follow-up for women in low-resource areas.
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Globally useful predictor for cervical cancer treatment response
This project aims to develop a simple predictive signature to personalize treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer using easy tests and imaging.
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HPV self-collection in HIV care to screen for cervical cancer in Ethiopia
A patient-centered program tests a simple HPV self-collection approach within HIV clinics in Ethiopia to help detect cervical cancer earlier.
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Hybrid approach to boost cervical cancer screening in Uganda
A tested, community-driven program helps Ugandan women encourage their peers to get free VIA cervical cancer screening.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.