Two cousins died after breast cancer was detected too late: How an IISc gold medallist used AI to build a possible solution

For Dr Geetha Manjunath, breast cancer was not initially a research problem or a startup opportunity. It became deeply personal after she lost two cousins to the disease within a short span of time.In one case, according to accounts of her journey, a mammogram failed to detect the cancer. By the time the disease was discovered, it was too late. Around six months later, another woman in the family was diagnosed with breast cancer and also died.For Manjunath, an artificial intelligence researcher with decades of experience, the losses led to a question: could technology help detect breast cancer earlier and make screening more accessible?That question would eventually lead to the creation of NIRAMAI Health Analytix, an Indian health-tech startup that uses artificial intelligence and thermal imaging for breast cancer screening.From Bengaluru to IISc and India's early supercomputing effortsManjunath grew up in Bengaluru and studied Computer Science at the University Visvesvaraya…