Karaganda Developers Create a Digital Assistant for Dermatologists
A doctor examines a skin lesion through a dermatoscope. Dozens of lines, shades, and barely noticeable details appear on the screen. For an experienced specialist, these details can provide important clues for diagnosis, while for a beginner, they can be challenging to interpret, making it easy to overlook warning signs.
To address this challenge, Karaganda-based developers Timur Bekeyev, Dmitry Gneydin, and Pavel Ilyin have created TeriAI, an artificial intelligence-powered system designed to help doctors analyze dermoscopic images.
How It All Started
The idea for the project emerged from a real-life situation. Timur Bekeyev, who graduated from the Karaganda Medical Academy in the 1990s with a degree in medical cybernetics, noticed that his wife, a dermatologist, rarely used a dermatoscope. The reason was simple: interpreting such images without extensive experience can be extremely difficult.
—“As an aid in making a diagnosis, doctors often use a printed atlas — a book containing color photographs of skin diseases that they compare with a patient's lesions. Alternatively, they undergo expensive training to develop the skills needed to examine these lesions,” says Timur Bekeyev.
This led him to the idea of using artificial intelligence to perform a preliminary analysis of the images.
“We wanted to create not a replacement for a specialist, but a tool that would assist doctors in making informed decisions,” the developer explains.
Timur was later joined by his former university classmates, Dmitry Gneydin and Pavel Ilyin. After studying the market, the team found that there were almost no similar solutions in Kazakhstan, while international alternatives were too expensive for most clinics. This was how TeriAI was born.
How the System Works
The process starts with a standard dermoscopic image. A doctor takes a photograph of a skin lesion using a dermatoscope connected to a smartphone camera and then uploads the image to the application.
The image is then analyzed by artificial intelligence. The algorithms assess the lesion's shape, color, structure, borders, and other characteristics, identify potentially significant features, and generate recommendations. The system may suggest monitoring the lesion, conducting additional examinations, or consulting a specialist.
However, the final clinical decision always remains with the doctor.
The Team Has Invested More Than KZT 10 Million in the Project
Timur Bekeyev is responsible for product development and works within the healthcare system, where he is involved in information security.
Dmitry Gneydin provides investment for the project and develops his own business. Pavel Ilyin is responsible for marketing and is a business partner of the Olymp laboratory network.
The team also includes a full-stack developer from Astana and two student programmers from Karaganda.
Since the beginning of development, the founders have invested more than KZT 10 million of their own funds in the project.
— “The expenses include salaries, technical infrastructure maintenance, and the registration of dermatoscopes in the medical equipment registry,” says Pavel Ilyin.
- After developing the product, the team completed an acceleration program at Terricon Valley, where it tested various market-entry models and established cooperation with potential clients.
From Pilot Project to Commercial Use
Today, TeriAI is undergoing pilot implementation in three clinics in Karaganda and Astana. According to the founders, some healthcare organizations have already moved from testing the system to commercial use.
The business model is straightforward: a subscription costs KZT 5,000 per month and includes ten diagnostic reports based on processed images. Each additional examination costs KZT 500.
The Next Step
The team is currently working with a medical university on a scientific study to evaluate the effectiveness of the system in real-world clinical practice.
The developers plan to present the results to the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan. If the effectiveness of TeriAI is confirmed, the digital assistant could also be introduced in public healthcare institutions across Kazakhstan.
Based on information provided by Terricon Valley.