India may be a step closer to faster and more widespread breast cancer screening. On September 16, 2026, AIIMS Delhi formally transferred an artificial intelligence (AI) based mammography interpretation technology to BPL Technologies Ltd, marking a significant industry-academia collaboration in the country’s healthcare space.
What The Technology Does
The AI model was built by researchers at AIIMS Delhi to assist radiologists in reading mammograms, the X-ray images used to detect breast cancer. The tool is designed specifically to support screening in places where trained breast-imaging specialists are hard to find, a gap that affects large parts of India, especially outside major cities.
Breast cancer remains one of the most common cancers among Indian women, and early detection through screening is one of the strongest tools available to improve survival rates. However, a shortage of radiologists trained in breast imaging often slows down diagnosis, particularly in smaller towns and rural areas.
The Team Behind The Project
The technology was developed by a group of AIIMS radiologists and machine-learning engineers. Dr Krithika Rangarajan, associate professor in the Department of Radiology, led the acknowledgement of contributions from the AIIMS technology team, the institute’s research section, and the Ministry of Education, which funded the project.
The project also involved radiologists Dr Amit Gupta and Dr Varun Holla, along with machine-learning engineers Om Shivom, Kushagra Chaturvedi and Aashish Rastogi. A managerial team led by Hema Malhotra oversaw the initiative.
Dr Tandon stressed the importance of moving research out of academic institutions and into tools that solve real healthcare problems. He said he hoped the initiative would encourage more such projects from AIIMS, reflecting the institute’s growing focus on innovation and translating biomedical research into practical clinical applications.
