NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Cervical cancer is one of the deadliest cancers among women, but also one of the most preventable, yet low-income patients often don’t have access to effective diagnostic measures.

That’s why a small startup is working to bring a portable, low-cost screening tool to underserved women.

Every year, more than 270,000 people die from cervical cancer, 85 percent of whom are in the developing world, according to the World Health Organization. Part of the reason why low-income women are more at risk is because they don’t have access to colposcopes, the device that’s used for screenings in most Western countries.

After learning of those statistics, MobileODT, an Israel-based group, was inspired to find a way to leverage the power of cell phones to ramp up screenings among women in need. Across the globe, 5 billion people have cell phones, but don’t have access to physicians, according to MobileODT CEO Ariel Beery.

The device takes advantage of the phone’s eye and display in order to capture a clear image of a woman’s cervix, Beery explained.

The technology has been embraced for both its affordability and expediency.