A large amount of data is generated daily in the medical industry, such as patient records, clinical trial data, medical research etc. By applying big data analytics in the field of healthcare and medicine, healthcare professionals and researchers can uncover important insights, patterns and trends which may aid the reduction of cost, improve patient outcomes, and enhance the quality-of-care patients worldwide receive. Big data analytics is useful in identifying health risks, developing precision medicine treatment plans, and optimizing the allocation of resources to ensure that patients receive effective and efficient care.

Atal Incubation Centre – CCMB and Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, (SINE) IIT-Bombay recognised this domain’s immense potential and organised a “HealthHacks 2023” hackathon from February 16^th-17^th at AIC-CCMB, Hyderabad under the aegis of MeiTY TIDE 2.0 program. This hackathon focused on using big data analytics to tackle several problems in the life sciences domain. 

HealthHacks 2023 featured 10 teams of innovators battling it out over 36 hours, coding furiously to present their solutions to a wide variety of challenges in fields like genomics, precision medicine and data visualization. This exhilarating bout was peppered with discussions, mentoring sessions and mock pitches. As time ticked on, teams worked feverishly on their projects, fueled only by the desire to create an innovative solution and of course, caffeine! The competition ended in an electrifying final pitch at the grand finale. 

Teams competed in two categories; start-up and individual. Feetwings emerged victorious in the start-up bracket with their smart patches allowing users to monitor their risk of diabetic complications. Pharmapedia took home the first prize in the individual group for developing a database that helps patients identify the details of their medicines and provides pharmaceutical retailers with an easy way to organise their stock. Diagnokare, SNIF and Learners were also awarded for their outstanding performances. 36 hours was all it took for these clever minds to showcase their skills and the power of innovation in shaping the future of healthcare and medicine.