IIT Madras develops first India-specific AI model to determine foetus age

In a first, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) model that is specific to Indian population and can accurately determine the age of a foetus in a pregnant woman, in her second and third trimesters.

Accurate age of a foetus — gestational age — helps in providing proper care of pregnant women and also to determine precise delivery dates.

Currently, physicians in India determine the gestational age using a formula developed for Western population, increasing chances of error.

The new model called ‘Garbhini-GA2’ accurately estimates the age of a foetus for the Indian population, reducing error by almost three times, said the team of researchers, including from the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad on Monday.

It is “the first late-trimester gestational age estimation model to be developed and validated using Indian population data”, they noted in the study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia.

The new model can also improve the care delivered by obstetricians and neonatologists, thus reducing maternal and infant mortality rates in India.

The research is also part of ‘Interdisciplinary Group for Advanced Research on Birth Outcomes — DBT India Initiative’ (GARBH-Ini) programme.