India’s first Oncology Image Bank Launched to Accelerate Collaborative Cancer Research, Health News, ET HealthWorld
Kolkata, September 26, 2022: Tata Medical Center, Kolkata, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, have launched India’s first fully annotated, relational, de-identified cancer image bank – CHAVI. This first-of-its-kind research partnership between the two premiere institutions in India was inaugurated in Kolkata on the 24th of September. The launch of CHAVI – Comprehensive Archive of Imaging is a towering boost to cancer research in India and will enable scientists from across the world to have free access to de-identified patient images and requisite clinical information that can be utilized for research purposes.
The inauguration also witnessed an enriching discussion chaired by experts including Dr. Arun P, Director Tata Medical Center, Kolkata, Dr Mammen ChandyEx-Director Tata Medical Center, Prof Partha Pratim Chakrabarty, Ex-Director and Professor of AI and Computer Sciences, IIT Kharagpur, Prof Jayanta Mukherjee, Dean Outreach of IIT Kharagpur along with the Heads of Departments of ACTREC Mumbai, Tata Memorial Hospital MumbaiSanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute Lucknow, Christian Medical College Vellore, amongst other specialists in the fields of cancer and artificial intelligence in Medicine. Dr. Sanjoy ChatterjeeDr. Indranil Mallick, and Dr. Santam Chakrabarty from Tata Medical Center was also present at the launch.
CHAVI is the first imaging biobank exclusively dedicated to oncological imaging from India. The project has been designed as a research collaboration between Tata Medical Center, Kolkata, and IIT Kharagpur, and developed as a part of the National Digital Library of India (NDLI). Its purpose is to develop an image biobank that is available across the country and to foster a foundation for future collaborative research efforts amongst major Indian cancer institutes. The project will encourage researchers, academicians, and industry experts to use the wealth of imaging data available in CHAVI.
Dr. P Arun, Director Tata Medical Center Kolkata said, “Data from digital imaging is critical to patient care, and with today’s technology, it also forms the substrate for future research to improve patient outcomes. It also allows evaluation of the efficacy of current treatment protocols. CHAVI from Tata Medical Center, developed in collaboration with IIT Kharagpur colleagues, gives us the platform to enhance AI-Radiomic research using freely available annotated digital oncological imaging.”
