Here at System C, we played a key role in an innovative project to use artificial intelligence to accurately date pregnancies in countries where larger scale ultrasound scanning equipment is unavailable.

What is TraCer?

TraCer is a small ultrasound device that has been combined with a tablet and probe. Software on the tablet makes it simple for a non-expert to carry out pregnancy scans. We played a key role in ensuring that the user interface was as straightforward as possible. Machine learning techniques are then employed to analyse the videos and date the pregnancy. Finding out the gestational age of a foetus can make a real difference to pregnancy outcomes, especially in remote areas where women did not previously have access to scans.

Overview & Goals of The Project

The creation of next-generation ultrasound systems that use machine learning to tackle unmet clinical needs in the developing world is the goal of an Oxford University team led by Alison Noble, Technikos Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Aris Papageorghiou, Associate Professor of Fetal Medicine. This particular project is funded by the UK government’s Global Challenges Research Fund as part of the PRECISE network initiative, which seeks to build individual and institutional research capacity across Africa and the UK through a shared pregnancy research programme.

“In the TraCer project we’re seeking to use our very portable probe-and-tablet device to measure the Trans Cerebellar diameter, a structure in the foetal brain which changes with gestational age,” explains Professor Noble. “This is a reliable parameter but it’s small and difficult to measure. We’re currently carrying out a research study in Kenya and The Gambia in which a research technician records short video clips of the foetal brain, which are sent back to us for analysis.”

“We believe we can use machine-learning techniques to analyse these videos to determine gestational age, but we need to assess how accurately we can do this and also investigate the usability of the device in the field,” she adds. “We already had an algorithm that allowed us to take a digital video recording using the ultrasound probe, but OCC’s expertise in presenting the method as a display on a notebook device for a non-expert user has been an essential part of the project.”

System C’s Contribution to TraCer

Our role was to create an app for the TraCer study that could gather data, allow the user to check the video was of good enough quality and then store and upload that information for analysis in the UK. But there were other considerations. For example, it was important to store but not show the data to the user because in some countries it’s illegal to use ultrasound for foetal gender identification.

“Our Innovation Delivery Team is very experienced at transforming research software into commercial applications, so we employed our user research skills and our understanding of how to make something accessible to a non-expert operator, together with our technical proficiency in imaging, in order to co-design with the researchers a prototype system for clinical evaluation.

We produced a cross-platform app using the React Native framework. It receives and displays live image data streamed from an ultrasound probe over WIFI, allows users to record foetal scan videos and then uploads those files to the UK via SFTP for analysis. Because data security was a key concern, encryption is used for both the storage and transfer of the foetal ultrasound recordings.” – Rachael Bartholomew, System C’s Head of Client Services.

The TraCer Project in Action

The below video gives a snapshot of the project, its impact and the collaboration between the key organisations involved in translating this research into a real-life application.

Next Steps

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