Peter Whitehead is the CEO of Light AI Inc.. The company partnered with Beast Philanthropy to combat rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Africa by using AI-powered Strep A detection. Their smartphone-based diagnostic tool provides rapid, accurate results without swabs or lab equipment, helping prevent RHD. The AI algorithm achieved 96.57% accuracy in pre-FDA validation studies. Globally, over 600 million cases of pharyngitis occur annually, with untreated Strep A leading to severe complications. MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), a prominent YouTuber, supports the initiative through Beast Philanthropy. Light AI aims to expand its AI technology to diagnose other conditions using smartphone imaging, making healthcare more accessible worldwide.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What is the purpose of the partnership between Light AI Inc. and MrBeast Industries? (How did this fortunate happenstance arise?)
Peter Whitehead: The partnership between Light AI and Beast Philanthropy was formed to address a critical healthcare challenge in Africa—rheumatic heart disease (RHD), which stems from untreated Strep A infections.
By combining our AI technology with Beast Philanthropy’s mission-driven initiative, our work together will provide healthcare workers in underserved regions with the tools they need to quickly and accurately detect Strep A because Strep A is manageable and RHD is preventable.
Our first interaction with Beast Philanthropy made clear the alignment between our two organizations. Beast Philanthropy is well known for tackling humanitarian issues and once we learned what they were hoping to achieve, we knew our technology had a part to play in it.
Currently our campaign is active and over the next six months we are raising proceeds to help support this cause. For every dollar donated we will provide one AI-powered Strep A test with an overarching goal of providing 10,000 tests. Through this partnership, we are working to not only create healthier, heart-safe communities in Africa, but also showcase how AI can be used for good.
Jacobsen: How does Light AI’s diagnostic technology work in a casual way and then in technical language?
Whitehead: Our AI-powered technology allows for rapid and accurate Strep A diagnosis through smartphones. It provides results in under a minute and no swabs or expensive lab equipment is required. Healthcare workers simply scan the back of the throat, through our platform, and once the results are in, they can immediately begin treatment, reducing the risk of rheumatic heart disease and saving lives, one smartphone at a time. In regions with limited healthcare resources, this solution is a lifeline.
Technical Explanation
A convolutional neural network (CNN) was trained using thousands of images confirmed by culture to be either Group A Streptococcus (GAS) or viral pharyngitis. Once the machine learning algorithm accurately differentiated between GAS and viral pharyngitis, it was locked and stored in the cloud.
A second algorithm was developed and embedded into a smartphone app to assist users in capturing high-quality throat images. Once an image is collected, it is sent to the cloud, where it is processed by the first algorithm. The algorithm then analyzes the image and provides a result: either positive for Group A Strep or negative.
Jacobsen: Why is early detection of Strep A important for treatment or providing proper remedies?
Whitehead: What we want to steer clear of are those more severe infections and the post-infectious complications caused by Strep A. The only way to do this is by diagnosing it and treating it as early as possible. I cannot stress the importance of this enough.
Strep A causes a range of infections, from mild to severe. Common mild to moderate infections include strep throat, scarlet fever, impetigo, cellulitis, and erysipelas. However, when left untreated, the bacteria can lead to more dangerous invasive infections such as necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease), streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS), bacteremia, and pneumonia. It can also trigger serious post-infectious complications like rheumatic heart disease and post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN).
While Strep A has traditionally been considered a mild illness in the West, mainly associated with sore throats, recent trends show a concerning increase in severe cases. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a sharp rise in deadly Group A Strep infections. In fact, preliminary data from the CDC shows that Strep A reached an all time high in 2023.
Jacobsen: What are the performance metrics Light AI’s algorithm achieved in the pre-FDA validation studies?
Whitehead: Our platform’s algorithm generated pre-FDA results that were in the range of the “Gold Standard” swab culture currently used for diagnosing GAS (group A strep).
It achieved a 96.57% accuracy rate and also attained a Negative Predictive Value of 100%, indicating its high reliability in confirming the absence of Streptococcus A infection.
Jacobsen: What is the global impact of viral and GAS pharyngitis as mentioned in the release?
Whitehead: Pharyngitis (sore throat) is one of the most common infections worldwide. According to MDPI, viral infections are responsible for up to 80% of sore throat cases. While viral pharyngitis is usually self-limiting, GAS pharyngitis can have serious global health consequences when left untreated.
Viral and GAS pharyngitis affects over 600 million people annually, and if untreated, can lead to Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD)—a fatal condition with an annual global economic burden exceeding $1 trillion and which kills 350,000 annually. For such a preventable condition the burden is too high.
Jacobsen: Who is ‘MrBeast’ (Jimmy Donaldson)? I’ve never heard of this person until now.
Whitehead: MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) is one of the most influential digital creators in the world, with over 365 million subscribers on YouTube and a combined following of over 400 MN+ followers. He is a YouTuber, philanthropist, and entrepreneur known for his large-scale charitable efforts.
His charity channel, Beast Philanthropy, donates 100% of its revenue to charitable causes, tackling urgent global issues. Beast Philanthropy exists to leverage the power of social media to raise funds and help charitable causes around the world.
Jacobsen: What else could Light AI be used to detect into the future?
Whitehead: Our approach — applying AI to smartphone images — can be expanded to other throat conditions, and other areas of analysis, such as the human eye and skin.
Our vision is to combine the smartphone with AI in-the-Cloud to create a Digital Clinical Lab that can provide quick and accessible diagnosis for countless conditions that today require expensive and time-consuming imaging or lab processes. This is how we open access, provide efficient and effective care, and redefine healthcare to meet the demands of our growing population.
Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Peter.
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Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978-1-0692343) and Editor-in-Chief of In-
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Photo credit: Peter Whitehead/Light AI.
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