Digital cervical screening company MobileODT (Tel Aviv) has been awarded a $2.3 million Small Business Innovation Research Authority grant from the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI).

The grant will fund a large-scale clinical trial to validate the efficacy of MobileODT’s EVA VisualCheck AI technology as a point-of-care cervical screening clinical decision support tool designed to provide results in under 60 seconds. The technology will be compared to standard of care methods such as Pap smear and visual inspection of the cervix.

MobileODT’s technology was designed to provide significantly improved accuracy when compared with traditional methods of cervical cancer detection. It allows for a broader range of physicians to perform cervical cancer screening, while defining the actual status of the patient and reducing loss to follow-up, according to the company.

The trial will commence in Q3 2021 and will be conducted in cooperation with the Basic Health International organization (BHI) on a population of 10,000 subjects.

“AI has a lot of potential to revolutionize care for women worldwide,” said Dr. Miriam Cremer, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Cleveland Clinic and one of the key researchers who will be leading the trial. “We are excited to test the technology and validate its accuracy and clinical feasibility.”

“We are honored to receive such a prestigious grant, especially from National Cancer Institute. It’s a recognition of the value that our technology is bringing to women’s health,” added MobileODT CEO Leon Boston in a news release. “The results of the trial are especially important in light of the World Health Organization’s recent global strategic decision to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer. We see these results bringing our technology to the forefront of women’s health.”

MobileODT’s EVA system combines advanced imaging, data and software applications to patients in 30 countries and across more than 60 U.S. health systems. Its smart mobile colposcope is used by clinicians worldwide for colposcopy, general gynecology, telegynecology and forensic imaging, according to MobileODT.

The company has received investment capital from Orbimed, Tristel, Tara Health, Laerdal, DAI and others.