Lecturer develops software for diabetes, breast cancer detection

A lecturer at the Federal University Dutse (FUD) in Jigawa State, Dr Salihu Ibrahim, has developed a software application for early detection of diabetes and breast cancer.

The institution’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), Abdullahi Yahaya, made the disclosure via a statement on Friday, August 9, 2024.

Yahaya quoted Ibrahim, who is the Head of the Medical Biochemistry Department, as describing diabetes and breast cancer as major diseases ravaging Nigeria and Africa.

The HOD, who is a renowned phytomedicine researcher, said he was interested in finding ways to mitigate the scourge.

The lecturer stated that about 70 per cent of diabetic patients in Africa were unaware of their condition, and they often discover it accidentally.

He said: “Since almost everyone has a mobile phone, I felt I could develop an application software to help people identify their risk level.

“But the software will not prescribe medication; instead, it will assess whether users are at high, medium, or low risk and advise them to seek medical intervention.

“This software will be more beneficial, especially for people living in rural areas, because they can quickly assess their risk levels from the comfort of their homes.

11.2m Nigerians living with diabetes

“It will save them the stress of waiting for long periods to see a doctor.”

On the breast cancer detection application, Ibrahim said the idea came to him during an Innovation Hub Training sponsored by the university.

The researcher noted that the breast cancer software application will guide women who do not have higher education because it is simple and more pictorial.

He added: “The application has already been licensed with the Nigerian Copyright Commission, and I am sure the university will also benefit from it.

“The applications have not been uploaded to the Play Store, because in order to be available on the Play Store, they need to be commercialised and allow interested parties to invest in the idea,” he quoted Ibrahim as further saying.”

The Star