Indian Student Develops AI Organ Donation App, Wins Microsoft's AI For Good Idea Challenge 2019

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AI for Good Idea Challenge by Microsoft calls for developers, students and data scientists alike to use Artificial Intelligence to deal with environmental and societal hindrances and build a more sustainable and accessible world. This yearly contest recognises three winning ideas and offers prizes of up to USD 10,000 worth of Azure credits, hardware from Microsoft, and a chance to present their ideas on the AI Lab.

Picture credit: Microsoft News Center India

This year, Indian student Pratik Mohapatra, clinched third place in the contest for his new AI app concept OraganSecure. He aims to match organ donors with people in need of organ transplant with the help of this AI-powered app.

This computer science engineering student has always been intrigued about applying technology to life sciences. He earlier bagged the prestigious Big Data award at Imagine Cup 2018 for his app DrugSafe, a drug authentication app. He was encouraged to take up the issue of organ donation after he realised the ordeals people face during this process.

"While watching a web series that revolves around organ donation, I realized the pain and emotional trauma people go through when waiting for a transplant. I started digging deeper about the problem and spoke to doctors at leading hospitals in Bengaluru to comprehend the magnitude of the issue," he mentioned.
There is no organised healthcare system that could ease the process of organ donation and transplant. Hence, the app can emerge as a boon for millions in India. Pratik realised the regular first-come-first-served logic might not be effective, as multiple factors need to be considered before matching a recipient with the donor.
The app not only let the applicants apply for organs, but also educates the users with information related to organ donation. The AI-powered real-time ranking on the donor list will help the recipients determine the expected timeline to receive an organ. They can simultaneously track the status of their application, know about expected costs, nearest organ banks and other relevant details.

Picture credit: Microsoft News Center India

It also helps the donors sign up and understand their eligibility of organ donation based on their medical history. The app uses Microsoft's state-of-the-art Azure Machine Learning tool that takes factors like blood group and antigen type in consideration before predicting the match of an organ and estimating the rank and time required for a recipient. With OrganSecure in place, the hospitals will be able to verify the identity of the donor before starting the extraction process.

Mohapatra is currently busy collecting datasets that will eventually create a strong database, "I am trying to partner with well-known hospitals to establish an initial database and measure the accuracy rates. After achieving the target accuracy rates, I plan to roll OrganSecure out to the public," he shares.

He is planning to release the app in Karnataka, India. "One person can give life to as many as eight people through organ donation. OrganSecure will ensure that those in need of an organ, receive one in time. At the end of the day, if 30-40 percent of OrganSecure users become organ donors, I would have achieved my mission," he explained. He also aims to expand the service of OrganSecure in the USA, South Korea, China and Singapore in near future.

His vision is expected to transform the future of healthcare as well as the lives of countless people who die every year waiting for an organ transplant.

Inputs from: Microsoft News Center India