‘Humane’ AI to Defeat Breast Cancer

The tension between technology and ethics has been a complex and ongoing issue throughout human history. Truth be told, there is no one technological breakthrough, from airplanes to the internet, that was not first and foremost developed for military or defense purposes before being applied to other areas of society. And when they do, these advancements are not  usually deployed without taking some risks: how far can we force a technology created with a not-so-noble purpose in mind to now fit perfectly into the moral corset that we expect it to wear? 

Yet, technology made by humans and with humanity is now more necessary than ever before. Our technological powers have gone far, sometimes way too far, to dismiss this critical point.

As an entrepreneur and changemaker aiming to disrupt the health system by delivering the best patient journey experience in the world, thinking and rethinking our technology in its humanity has been key to our success —and will shape the course of our company in the years to come.

I founded Mamotest as part of a mission to create the largest breast cancer tele-diagnosis network in Latin America. In the process, I dare say we have come to understand breast cancer like no one else: as a multidimensional challenge with not just medical or technical aspects but also geographic, social, economical, cultural, psychological and emotional conditions. (To me, it is still mind-blowing how every actor in the health industry still ignores or even downplays this multidimensionality.)

In countries as distant and different as Mexico or Argentina, we have acquired a decade-long experience meeting real-world patients in real-world environments. This is not just what makes us experts, it’s also what has deepened and strengthened our humanity. And this is the key to understanding why our latest technology is so different from any other healthtech development incubated in even the most innovative global hub.

Imagine a woman in her 40s who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Naturally, she might succumb to fear, confusion, even rage or shame. And, surely, she’s feeling overwhelmed. Not only does she need to get appointments with specialized, highly-demanded doctors and schedule new studies — many with technical names she has never heard of before, and that possibly take place in intimidating medical centers distanced from her home — she also needs courage and emotional strength to tell her friends and family (“What will my kids say?”), notify his employer or employees (“Will they look at me differently?”) and much more — don’t get me started on the bureaucracy regarding medical insurance companies, or even worse, the exorbitant costs of medical treatment without having that insurance — while she struggles to somehow lead a semi-functional everyday life. 

Now, imagine that same woman having an app on her phone that, as soon as she opens it, reminds her she can talk to her psycho-oncologist online anytime she needs to. It also shows her a notification that states that, because of her latest study results, Mamotest’s algorithm recommends a follow-up study and, in that very same message, she already finds three, maybe even four different appointments of her choice, the sooner, nearest ones available. (Of course, a previous message was sent to the patient’s doctor, who has the same app on his phone to validate and approve the algorithm’s recommendation with just a few clicks.)

This is how we deliver the best patient journey experience in the world, from the moment she steps into a mammogram center for the first time until the very last checkup to verify that her cancer is gone. Our digital innovation provides each woman the medical, technical and logistical assistance needed to navigate the sometimes complicated, impersonal health system, while focusing on the psychological and emotional support needed in each step. 

On the other hand, the platform also connects with doctors, medical centers, scientific researchers, drug developers and policymakers, providing them with insightful information in order to enhance their performance (as in the previous example, when the algorithm was able to analyze the study’s results in real time, and was also capable of detecting a good reason to recommend further action from the doctor). 

This is what we call “data for good,” and the way we do it sounds simple but requires hard work and unyielding commitment, for Mamotest’s technology takes the best of AI but it has been designed, and it is daily executed and supervised by a professional HUMAN team with real-world patients in real world environments in mind — and in heart.

The rewards are immense. In the coming years, this revolutionary technology will enable us to become an active and radical collaborator in breast cancer treatment itself. Just imagine the possibilities ahead for; for instance, clinical trials. As we all learned after COVID-19, it usually takes most drugs around 10 years to be launched. However, as we also learned from the pandemic, we can and should question the scientific method. Do we really need all those years to develop a new drug? Sometimes, the answer will still be YES. Other times, though, we might find pain points we can work on to improve it and save lives. 

In breast cancer research, it can take up to two years for a pharmaceutical company just to gather the specific profile of patients needed for a particular study. In the future, our AI technology could bring those two years down to two months, two weeks, or even two days. This will not only decrease time but also costs of the process, while enhancing the quality of the research with beneficial consequences for all parties involved.

Personally, I don’t believe disrupting the health industry means we must bring it down from the roots. What I envision is becoming the strongest, most reliable binding force behind its very much needed extreme makeover. The goal is to transform Mamotest into the ecosystem, the common ground where all the actors of the health system can work together to defeat breast cancer: patients, medical professionals, hospitals, NGOs, insurance companies, healthtechs, Big Pharmas, and governments. We also aim to summon and involve actors traditionally external to the sector, such as private companies and investors. It is our conviction that, because of its multidimensional nature, breast cancer is not a challenge that a particular sector must tackle on its own, but it is up to society as a whole to overcome.

I am well aware of our boldness. Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the world. Every year, almost 700,000 women die because of it. And even though the disease does not choose its victims on the basis of race, nationality, religion, social status, or economic possibilities, 70% of them live in developing countries. What is, then, the crucial difference between a woman who survives and one who doesn’t? The answer is directly related to her access to an efficient health system that accompanies her throughout her patient journey, and with a humane approach. Simply put, the answer is Mamotest.