CSIR-CSIO Smart Microscope
India has a shortage of health professionals in rural areas leading to an acute shortage of diagnostic labs and trained pathologists. Digital transformation in the country’s healthcare system would radically change the way healthcare is being delivered in India.
CSIR-CSIO has initiated a step towards digital transformation.
Scientists at Central Scientific Instruments Organization (CSIO) of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has developed a smart microscope.
This Smart microscope is revolutionary. It can obtain microscopic images or use stored microscopic images of blood samples for the quantification of Red Blood Cells (RBC) as well as White Blood Cells (WBC).
Dr. Suman Tiwari, the lead researcher, said that the CSIR-CSIO smart microscope is based on telepathology technology. The microscope is user-friendly for technicians, and the reports can be sent to the experts. He highlighted that it was a handy tool for remote and inaccessible rural areas that lack diagnostic facilities.
How Is The CSIR-CSIO Smart Microscope Built?
This microscopy technique is based on the deep learning algorithm. The CSIR-CSIO microscope uses mathematical functions, which can be used as an optimized model for optimal results. It uses software that calculates red and white blood cells using microscopic
images of blood samplesCSIR-CSIO Smart Microscope features a camera mounted on it that acquires the images. These images are then read in computers where the backend algorithm can produce and display results.
In this approach, detection & quantification for RBC and subtypes of WBC have shown 93 percent accuracy. The software can be mounted on a digital microscope developed by CSIR-CSIO.
Dr. Tiwari added that the system has been trained on data obtained from various hospitals and clinical centers for lab-specific quantification. It can be developed using an integrated approach and automated solution for real-time quantification of blood cells in diagnostic inferencing.
The Smart Microscope featured in the Medical Innovations category at the Health Research Conclave held recently under the India International Science Festival-2019 held in Kolkata.
In the conference, the CSIR-CSIO Smart Microscope has won the first prize in the Medical Innovation Category.
CSIR-CSIO Smart Microscope technology can be useful in ensuring access to affordable and accessible diagnostic services.
