TANUH

Oral cancer is a leading health challenge in India, with over 140,000 new cases diagnosed annually. The high incidence can be attributed to the widespread use of tobacco products, especially smokeless tobacco, areca nut, betel quid, and alcohol.

Almost 80,000 individuals succumb to the disease every year in India, mainly due to limited access to specialists, thus resulting in delayed diagnosis. Early detection of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) can dramatically reduce mortality and improve quality of life.

Our Solution

To address this, the IISc, along with its collaborators, a multidisciplinary team, has developed Aarogya Aarohan, an AI-powered mobile application that empowers frontline healthcare workers to screen for OPMD and oral cancers. This innovative solution bridges gaps in specialist access and enhances early detection in low-resource settings.

Key Features of the Solution:

AI-Powered Analysis:

Advanced machine learning models like MobileViTv2 with ~85% sensitivity and specificity.

Reliable classification of lesions as suspicious or non-suspicious.

Advanced machine learning models like MobileViTv2 with ~85% sensitivity and specificity.

Reliable classification of lesions as suspicious or non-suspicious.

Advanced machine learning models like MobileViTv2 with ~85% sensitivity and specificity.

Reliable classification of lesions as suspicious or non-suspicious.

User-Friendly Mobile App:

Compatible with low-cost smartphones.

Enables demographic data collection, habit history, and high-quality oral imaging.

Compatible with low-cost smartphones.

Enables demographic data collection, habit history, and high-quality oral imaging.

Compatible with low-cost smartphones.

Enables demographic data collection, habit history, and high-quality oral imaging.

Secure and Scalable:

Cloud-based storage for de-identified data, ensuring privacy.

Scalable infrastructure for national-level deployment

Cloud-based storage for de-identified data, ensuring privacy.

Scalable infrastructure for national-level deployment

Cloud-based storage for de-identified data, ensuring privacy.

Scalable infrastructure for national-level deployment

Arogya Aarohan Mobile Application

Impact & Vision

Current Impact:

Empowering healthcare workers with accessible, effective tools.

Facilitating timely referrals for high-risk individuals.

Future Vision:

Detecting 10,000–20,000 early-stage oral cancer cases annually.

Integration into India’s NPCDCS program for broader implementation.

Open-sourcing the technology to drive further innovations in AI for healthcare.

Detecting 10,000–20,000 early-stage oral cancer cases annually.

Integration into India’s NPCDCS program for broader implementation.

Open-sourcing the technology to drive further innovations in AI for healthcare.

Detecting 10,000–20,000 early-stage oral cancer cases annually.

Integration into India’s NPCDCS program for broader implementation.

Open-sourcing the technology to drive further innovations in AI for healthcare.

Our Approach

The project combines cutting-edge technology with robust field implementation:

Site Studies:

Data collection and validation from 12,400 participants across eight geographically diverse sites in five Indian states.

Training Programs:

Over 50 healthcare workers trained, including mid-level health providers, nurses, and ASHAs.

Collaborations:

Partnerships with public health systems, hospitals, NGOs, and educational institutions to ensure scientific rigor and scalability.

Team & Collaborators

Principal Investigator

Rajesh Sundaresan

Professor
Electrical Communication Engineering, IISc

Dean
Division of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Sciences, IISc

Personal website

Co-Principal Investigator

Prabhdeep Kaur

Chair and Professor
Isaac Centre for Public Health, IISc

Personal website

Debnath Pal

Professor
Computational and Data Sciences & Computational and Systems Biology, IISc

Personal website

Research Staff & Students

Lakshmi Krishnan

Specialist Scientist
Isaac Centre for Public Health, IISc

Tejashree S

PhD Scholar
Electrical Communication Engineering, IISc

Administrative Staff

Leena Chavaan

Program Manager
Electrical Communication Engineering, IISc

Partners & Collaborators

Updates & Announcements

IISc has received the Best Education Institute Exhibit of the Year at the India Mobile Congress 2025 for its AI-based oral cancer screening tool Aarogya Aarohan. Developed by IISc’s AI Centre of Excellence, TANUH, in collaboration with ARTPARK and Triveous, Aarogya Aarohan is a mobile phone–based, AI-powered, point-of-care tool that supports early detection of oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancers.

Designed to be mobile-first, offline-first, and edge-deployed, the tool enables frontline health workers to capture and analyze oral images in real time, even in low-resource settings. It provides instant lesion classification to support timely referral and treatment, addressing a critical gap in early oral cancer detection in India.