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Four 16-year-old juniors at Oakton High School are working to bring an artificial intelligence-powered oral cancer screening tool to the public, potentially as soon as summer 2025.
Aniketh Bandlamudi, Lauren Kim, Vishal Manikanden, and Malek Swilam met through the school’s robotics team. For months, they have combined their experience in programming, business development, and technology to create OCRadar, an app designed to identify possible signs of oral cancer from photographs.
Oral cancers can affect the tongue, lips, and gums and are often discovered at advanced stages, when survival chances are lower. The students envision their app as an accessible wellness tool that could encourage earlier detection, particularly in countries where affordable screening is difficult to obtain.
The idea grew from research Aniketh began at Rachel Carson Middle School. After learning about the impact of oral cancer in developing countries, he imagined an app with few barriers to access. He soon realized he would need a team to develop it.
“I knew that I had a good idea but after a while, it was also pretty clear that I needed help to make it happen,” Aniketh said. “I couldn’t do this alone.”
Lauren, Vishal, and Malek brought their own areas of expertise to the project. Together, the students developed an AI model using a library containing thousands of images of healthy mouths and mouths showing signs of disease.
They also addressed a practical problem: users need clear, well-lit photographs for the technology to analyze. Working with Oakton technology and engineering teacher Douglas Kaltenbaugh, the team designed and 3D-printed a prototype phone attachment intended to improve image quality.
Teachers Harnam Arneja, Eugene Farrell, and Edmund Lau also provided support and guidance during development.
The students are now navigating requirements from Apple and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as they pursue an App Store release and seek Class I or Class II FDA approval. They are also contacting medical professionals who could assist with research and testing.
Aniketh said early feedback has been encouraging and that the possibility of helping people keeps the group motivated.
“To think we could make a real difference in people’s lives is exciting,” he said. “I look forward to the day that we hear back from people who benefited from our work.”
Oakton Principal Jamie Lane praised the students’ dedication and ambition, saying the school is proud of what they have accomplished and what may still lie ahead.