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NEW DELHI: Researchers, policymakers, clinicians, investors and AI health-tech innovators gathered at IIT Delhi on Friday to examine how artificial intelligence can responsibly transform healthcare and life sciences at AI Impact in Biotech and MedTech Innovation – The Next Frontier, a curtain-raiser to the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Pitch sessions featured student-led health-tech solutions addressing gaps in care, diagnostics and delivery. Innovations included a non-invasive device to manage post-treatment lymphoedema in breast cancer patients; a solid-state, IoT-enabled vaccine cooling carrier powered by battery and solar energy for remote areas; and a smart protective belt designed to reduce fall-related hip injuries among the elderly. Women’s health solutions included a smartphone-based, AI-powered cervical cancer screening tool that enables frontline health workers to detect early abnormalities offline. The forum focused on AI’s growing role in diagnostics, disease management, cancer care and scalable health solutions. The agenda featured two expert panel discussions, pitch sessions by 12 AI health-tech startups and curated networking with over 15 potential investors. Discussions highlighted AI’s ability to extract faster insights from large datasets and improve access to advanced analytics suited to India’s healthcare realitgies. Tarun Chaturvedi, COO of the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer, IIT Delhi, said AI is boosting healthcare innovation by converting large datasets into actionable insights. “India is likely to see a surge in successful AI startups over the next three to five years,” he added. Diagnostics emerged as a major focus area, with startups showcasing point-of-care testing platforms capable of analysing over 25 parameters related to kidney, cardiac and pancreatic conditions at significantly lower costs. Sandeep Nailwal, founder of Blockchain For Impact, said India has the potential to take AI-driven healthcare solutions global, provided technologies are implemented at scale and reach the grassroots level.
