Qure.ai secures Gates Foundation grant to advance AI for TB and pneumonia detection

Global digital health innovator Qure.ai has received a multimillion-dollar grant from the Gates Foundation to advance health equity and reach underserved populations.

The grant will enable Qure.ai to develop a large open-source multi-modal database to support future innovations in prevention and identification. The database will integrate non-identifiable clinical history, medical images including chest X-rays, thoracic ultrasounds, high-resolution CT scans, cough and lung recordings, and laboratory or biological markers. Researchers and innovators globally will be able to use the database to develop, validate, and refine new AI models.

The grant will also support the development of AI-enabled point-of-care ultrasound algorithms for early detection of tuberculosis (TB) and pneumonia, two of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases in under-resourced regions. TB causes approximately 1.23 million deaths annually, while pneumonia results in around 2 million deaths each year, including 700,000 children under five. Both diseases are curable if detected early.

“In a bid to reach the unreachable we have innovated our way around the world over the last 10 years, taking AI-enabled X-ray to some of the remotest regions of sub-Saharan Africa, to the heights of Everest and depths of rural Southeast Asia, tackling the detection and diagnosis of TB. This is powerful progress that has reduced diagnosis rates from 14 days to 1-2 days, without even a clinician present. Now, with this grant from the Gates Foundation, we are excited to leverage this expertise further to scale and reach more people,” stated Prashant Warier, Founder and CEO of Qure.ai.

“With the very latest developments in digital health and artificial intelligence, Qure.ai can help reach healthcare’s blind spots, bringing high-quality diagnostics within reach of every clinic, health worker, and child, no matter where they live,” added Dr Shibu Vijayan, Chief Medical Officer – Global Health, Qure.ai.

“This grant will allow us to build on the years of continuous innovation we have spearheaded in public health and our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what AI can do for global health. It brings together pneumonia, tuberculosis, and broader lung health priorities, with a focus on children in low and middle-income countries. A child dies of pneumonia every 43 seconds which is an unacceptable and an avoidable loss. It underscores the urgent need for better diagnostics and equitable access to care,” said Dr Justy Antony Chiramal, Project Lead and Clinical Director, Global Health Innovation, Qure.ai.

Qure.ai has deployed its technology across more than 105 countries and 4,800 sites worldwide, supporting identification and management of TB, lung cancer, and neurocritical findings such as stroke.