IIT Madras, THSTI Faridabad researchers develop AI model to determine foetus age

NEW DELHI: Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Madras) and Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI Faridabad) have developed the first India-specific artificial intelligence (AI) model to determine the age of a foetus in a pregnant woman in the second and third trimesters precisely. The model has been developed as part of the ‘Interdisciplinary group for advanced research on birth outcomes – DBT India initiative’ (GARBH-Ini) programme.

Accurate ‘gestational age’ (GA) is necessary for the appropriate care of pregnant women and for determining precise delivery dates. Called ‘Garbhini-GA2’, this is the first late-trimester GA estimation model to be developed and validated using Indian population data.

Benefits of GA model

• Currently, the age of a foetus (gestational age) is determined using a formula developed for western population
• They are likely to be erroneous when applied in the later part of pregnancy due to variations in the growth of the foetus in the Indian population
• The newly developed ‘Garbhini-GA2’ accurately estimates the age of a foetus for the Indian population, reducing error by almost three times.
• This GA model can improve the care delivered by obstetricians and neonatologists, thus reducing maternal and infant mortality rates in India.

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Rajesh Gokhale, secretary, department of biotechnology (DBT), said, “GARBH-Ini is a flagship programme of DBT, and the development of these population-specific models for estimating gestational age is a commendable outcome. These models are being validated across the country.”

This research was undertaken by Himanshu Sinha, associate professor, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, department of biotechnology, IIT Madras; Shinjini Bhatnagar, principal investigator of GARBH-Ini programme and a professor at THSTI and other researchers. The findings were published in the prestigious international peer-reviewed journal Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia.