AcuScreen(TM), Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE Winner, Can Help Address Global Crisis of 3 Million Undiagnosed Tuberculosis Cases
Using AI analysis of patient cough recordings, AcuScreen is a discreet, feasible, and accurate screening tool.
WATERLOO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / November 3, 2021 / Cloud DX (TSXV:CDX) (OTCQB:CDXFF). A study in Mozambique using AI to analyze smartphone audio recordings of patient coughs shows promising outcome for screening and diagnosis of active tuberculosis. The trial, led by Celso Khosa M.D. at the Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS), sought to determine the feasibility of front-line tuberculosis triage using AcuScreen™, the smartphone component of Cloud DX's winning Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE technology, Vitaliti™. The research team recently presented preliminary results at the 52nd Union World Conference on Lung Health.
The cause of 1.4 million deaths annually, tuberculosis (TB) is the world's deadliest respiratory infection (after COVID), yet it is an entirely treatable and preventable disease. As infection and deaths climb this year and are projected to grow again in 2022, the need for innovation in TB diagnosis, treatment, and care is ever-pressing. AcuScreen or similar mobile tools to support public health facilitate systematic and discreet screening in mobile clinics and other in-field uses. In line with the encouraging results, Dr. Khosa says "Our data shows that acoustic cough analysis and symptom detection exceed the World Health Organization requirements for a community-based triage system. Such a tool is essential for low resource and high burden areas. I look forward to expanding AcuScreen's use."
"AcuScreen is an important initiative. The team has developed a mobile and digital health technology that countries with challenges in their health care delivery and disease prevention desperately need," says Anousheh Ansari, XPRIZE CEO. "This project embodies Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE's mission; tackling tuberculosis with an affordable mobile screening tool is what we would consider a breakthrough for humanity."
"AcuScreen's success is a milestone event for technology, healthcare, and society," says Robert Kaul, CEO of Cloud DX. "This is the first Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE-winning technology to be validated in the field, showing the path forward for our innovations from concept to commercialization. More importantly, AcuScreen can help combat the spiraling global tuberculosis crisis. AcuScreen is more accessible and accurate, and less expensive, than x-ray screening. With a stigmatized illness such as TB, it's important that any solution be handheld, like AcuScreen, for discretion and privacy. This is technology that virtually every public health or medical clinic can use in front-line triage to test an estimated 3 million undiagnosed TB patients, and to expedite confirmation tests such as GeneXpert®.
"Cloud DX and the Roddenberry Foundation have taken the next great step in using smart phone based health technology for medicine", says Erik Viirre M.D. Ph.D., Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego and Medical Director of the AcuScreen project and of the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE. "The device that you hold in your hand will now be useful for screening for a global health scourge. With a world-wide program with socially appropriate outreach, we will help people get screened and routed to care at practically no cost to them."
The trial, named ‘Acoustic analysis of cough as a novel technology for the screening and diagnosis of active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB)' was funded by the Qualcomm Foundation and the Roddenberry Foundation with the support of University of California, San Diego, and the Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS). The research team included Dr. Celso Khosa, Dr. Erik Viirre, Dr. Sonny Kohli, Bindiya Meggi, Ilesh Jani, Yara Voss De Lima, Lamiaa Amzil, Isthi Paul, Sara Ross-Howe, and António Machiana.
* "Tuberculosis screening costs and cost-effectiveness in high-risk groups: a systematic review", BCM, Sept 8, 2021.
About Instituto Nacional de Saúde
Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS) is an autonomous government institution under the tutelage of the Minister of Health. Its mission is to generate and promote the incorporation of scientific and technologic solutions for the main health conditions and problems in Mozambique. The INS conducts research, training and implements public health activities.
The Polana Caniço Health Research and Training Center (CISPOC) is a research center affiliated to the INS. The center was established in 2011 and is experienced in conducting bio-medical research, cohort studies, surveillance and program evaluation.
About XPRIZE
XPRIZE is a global future-positive movement of over 1M people and rising, delivering truly radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. XPRIZE inspires and empowers a global community of problem-solvers to positively impact our world by crowdsourcing solutions through large-scale competitions, tackling the world's grandest challenges in exploration, environment and human equity. Active competitions include the
About University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or, colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is the southernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California, and offers over 200 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, enrolling 33,343 undergraduate and 9,533 graduate students. UC San Diego is ranked among the best universities in the world by major college and university ranking.
The University of California San Diego School of Medicine is the graduate medical school of the University of California, San Diego. It was the third medical school in the University of California system, after those established at UCSF and UCLA, and is the only medical school in the San Diego metropolitan area
About Cloud DX
Accelerating virtual healthcare, Cloud DX is on a mission to make healthcare better for everyone. Our Connected Health TM remote patient monitoring platform is used by healthcare enterprises and care teams across North America to virtually manage chronic disease, enable aging in place, and deliver hospital-quality post-surgical care in the home. Our partners achieve better healthcare and patient outcomes, reduce the need for hospitalization or re-admission, and reduce healthcare delivery costs through more efficient use of resources. Cloud DX is the co-winner of the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, a 2021 Edison Award winner, a Fast Company "World Changing Idea" finalist, and one of "Canada's Ten Most Prominent Telehealth Providers."
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