Colombia’s artificial intelligence for early disease detection

2024-09-15 21:08:43

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An artificial intelligence start-up in Colombia, designed to support the daily work of companies in the health sector, facilitates the early detection of diseases and improves access to the system through predictive models that help predict the most effective treatments and which potential complications are identified.

Its name is Arkangel IA and its founders, two young people from Pereira and Villavicencio, say that it has affected nearly 68 million patients worldwide.

The foundation of this platform is the story of resilience from personal tragedies and the conviction that technology can save lives. Laura Velásquez and José David Gómez, co-founders of this platform, faced the pain of losing loved ones due to illnesses that could be discovered in time.

His personal grief was the catalyst for the creation of Arkangel IA. In an interview with EL COLOMbianO, Laura remembers that both of them, as a couple, wanted to “do something that could prevent these tragedies. We were looking for a way to detect disease before it was too late“.

Due to their motivation, they developed a platform that goes beyond a simple diagnosis, offering an accessible and advanced solution for disease prevention.

What makes this AI foundation remarkable is that Laura and José do not come from traditional sectors, such as medicine or engineering. “We had no training in the medical sector or in engineering. This allowed us to see things from a different angle. We were not bound by a conventional approach and this allowed us to innovate significantly” says Laura.

That unconventional approach, he says, was key to developing a platform that converts data into predictive models without having to write code, a feature that facilitates integration with various health systems.

Since its launch, Arkangel AI has had a significant global impact. The platform has reached almost 70 million people in 18 countries, improving early detection and disease prevention.

Its co-founder states that They have applied this technology “in regions as diverse as Choco, with malaria problemsand in Puerto Vallarta, with respiratory diseases. “We also work with big names like Novartis and the Santa Fe Foundation.”

In 2020, Arkangel IA’s impact was recognized with the Everis Global Award, which recognizes projects with a strong social impact. Laura, who was the first Latina woman to receive the award, says that “it was a very emotional experience, a validation that important things are being done in technology in Colombia. “This award not only recognized our innovation, but also recognized the positive impact on people’s lives.”

Since then, new doors have opened for the platform and both have stepped up their mission to expand their reach.

Indeed, Arkangel IA will be in Medellín for the meeting ‘Conexión: Entrepreneur Summit’ in Plaza Mayorat the beginning of October, an event that will bring together more than 20 speakers and almost 80 investors from all over Latin America. Laura hopes her mission will be to “demonstrate the positive impact of our technology and how it can revolutionize the way we approach disease prevention and diagnosis.”

This technology has had a tangible impact in the region, as they have been working with hospitals in Lima, Peru, for four years, early finding “different types of cancer such as lung, breast, prostate, leukemia in children, as well as rare types. , cardio-metabolic and respiratory diseases and many more,” says Laura.

In the future, The startup aims to impact a large number of people by 2030. To do this, explains its president, they will have to scale their projects “both in size and in regions. We measure the impact every year and we always try to improve prevention and diagnosis. “Each new project helps us get closer to our goal.”