Akash Parvatikar operates at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence and cancer diagnosis, a domain that is fundamentally transforming the detection, study, and treatment of diseases. Based in New York, he spearheads research and development for large-scale digital pathology platforms at Histowiz, a company whose solutions are utilized by pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and academic institutions worldwide.
Educational Background and Early Career
Growing up in India, Akash completed his Bachelor's degree in electronics and communication engineering from RV College of Engineering in Bengaluru. His undergraduate studies emphasized signal processing and applied mathematics, providing a robust foundation for analyzing complex signals and images through computational methods. He furthered his education with a Master's in information science and a PhD in computational biology, both from the University of Pittsburgh.
Transition to Digital Pathology
During his doctoral research, Akash began focusing on digital pathology, a field that involves the microscopic examination of tissue samples to confirm cancer and guide treatment decisions. Traditionally, this process relied on manual workflows, where pathologists visually interpreted glass slides under microscopes. While skilled, this approach is labor-intensive, subjective, and challenging to scale. Digital pathology addresses these issues by scanning slides into high-resolution digital images, enabling storage, sharing, and computational analysis.
Building Trust with Explainable AI
A key aspect of Akash's work centers on fostering trust in AI among clinicians. Early machine-learning models were often criticized as black boxes, producing predictions without clear explanations. In clinical settings, such opacity is unacceptable. Akash's research prioritized explainable AI, ensuring algorithms highlight histological features like cellular structure and tissue architecture that pathologists rely on, rather than opaque correlations. This approach has been instrumental in developing tools that clinicians can confidently use in practice.
Role at Histowiz and PathologyMap
At Histowiz, Akash has been pivotal in developing PathologyMap, an AI-enabled digital pathology platform designed to manage pathology data at scale. This platform integrates secure slide storage with intelligent tools for automated quality control, tissue segmentation, and feature detection. One significant challenge in pathology is data quality, as slides may suffer from issues like poor focus or staining. Akash notes that their quality-control models achieve over 98% accuracy and reduce manual review by more than 80%, enhancing efficiency and reliability.
Connecting Indian Innovations Globally
Akash has also facilitated connections between Indian innovations and global digital pathology ecosystems. PathologyMap incorporates AI tools from AIRA Matrix, an India-based digital pathology AI company, making them accessible to international pharma, biotech, and academic institutions. He emphasizes that such collaborations validate Indian AI tools across diverse datasets and real-world workflows, positioning India as a co-creator of globally relevant diagnostic technology rather than just a service provider.
Implications for India's Healthcare Landscape
The potential impact on India is substantial, given the millions of cancer cases reported annually and the concentration of trained pathologists in urban areas. Digital pathology could enable slides to be scanned locally and shared securely with specialists nationwide, reducing diagnostic delays in semi-urban and rural regions. AI-assisted tools can standardize diagnoses and minimize observer variation. However, Akash highlights several needs for India to fully realize this potential, including investment in high-resolution slide scanners, national data standards, training for professionals, and a balanced regulatory framework to ensure patient safety and innovation.
In summary, Akash Parvatikar's work exemplifies how AI and digital pathology are revolutionizing cancer care, with a focus on trust, innovation, and global collaboration to improve healthcare outcomes.
