Biocon Foundation and IISc convened clinicians, researchers, policymakers and technology experts to develop a scalable, AI-supported strategy for oral cancer prevention, detection and treatment in India.
NEW DELHI (India CSR): Biocon Foundation, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Translational AI for Networked Universal Health Care (TANUH), convened national experts to advance India’s oral cancer elimination strategy. The seventh Oral Cancer Task Force (OCTF) Annual Conference was held on July 27–28, 2026, at BITS Pilani’s Goa Campus to mark World Head and Neck Cancer Day. Its theme was “Integrating AI, Research, and Advocacy towards Oral Cancer Elimination.”
The conference brought together oncologists, clinicians, researchers, policymakers, public health professionals and artificial intelligence specialists. Discussions focused on tobacco cessation, early screening, timely diagnosis, treatment access and integration of AI into healthcare systems. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Founder and Managing Trustee of Biocon Foundation and Convenor of OCTF, said India could redefine the global response to oral cancer by combining artificial intelligence, scientific innovation and strong public health systems. She emphasised developing scalable solutions that improve early detection and make quality cancer care more equitable.
A major focus was the Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence, a multicentric initiative involving 28 consortium partners, with IISc as the nodal institution. It has developed an AI-assisted, mobile phone-based imaging solution that classifies oral lesions into high- and low-risk categories. The technology powers Aarogya Aarohan, an AI-enabled application deployed across public health centres in Goa. Designed for frontline healthcare workers, it operates on affordable smartphones, works offline and supports patient referral across different healthcare levels.
Since 2014, Biocon Foundation has screened more than 100,000 people across several states. It also contributed over 30,000 annotated oral-lesion images to support development of the application with IISc and TANUH. Deployment of Aarogya Aarohan has reportedly increased screening capacity ten-fold over 18 months. The conference reaffirmed three priorities: tobacco cessation, screening and early detection, and timely diagnosis and treatment initiation, forming the foundation of a scalable national oral cancer control framework.
