Noeul develops a medical device that examines cervical cancer using artificial intelligence (AI). CEO Im Chanyang states on October 18 that "it can examine cervical cancer in about 20 minutes even in areas with underdeveloped medical facilities." /Courtesy of ChosunBiz

Cervical cancer ranks fourth in global female cancer incidence. There are often no discernible symptoms in the early stages, but it can lead to death if severe, making regular examinations vital. Typically, it takes about 1 to 2 weeks to test for cervical cancer and receive the results. A company has reduced this period to about 20 minutes. This is the story of the medical device company Noeul. During a meeting at the headquarters in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on the 18th of last month, CEO Im Chan-yang (47) noted, "We can examine cervical cancer quickly and more accurately using artificial intelligence (AI)."

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 660,000 cases of cervical cancer reported in 2022. The number of deaths was 350,000, with significant impacts primarily in low-income countries. While developed countries have well-equipped medical facilities for cervical cancer screening and treatment, this is not the case in developing countries. CEO Im stated, "We aim to facilitate easy cervical cancer screening for women living in underdeveloped areas, contributing to lowering mortality rates."

On October 18, employees of the medical device company Noeul located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, are viewing a screen that examines cervical cancer, malaria, and blood using artificial intelligence (AI). When a cartridge stained with cells is inserted into the medical device, the results appear on the screen. They can check if any changes have occurred in the cell shape to determine if a disease is present. /Courtesy of ChosunBiz

◇"Fast and accurate testing with AI"

Cervical cancer occurs in the cervix, the lower part of the uterus. If a person is infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV) through sexual contact, the cells can become abnormal and lead to cervical cancer. Early on, there are typically no symptoms, but in advanced stages, pain in the lower abdomen and legs may occur, along with bleeding and foul-smelling discharge.

To test for cervical cancer, cells are collected from the cervix at a hospital. The cells are sent to a separate diagnostic laboratory outside the hospital. They are placed on a glass slide and stained so that a person can observe and determine if the cells are normal or abnormal under a microscope.

Noeul has entrusted this process to AI. When cells are placed in a small cartridge shaped like a square box, a chemical automatically stains them. CEO Im remarked, "Once stained, normal and abnormal cells can be distinguished," adding, "Abnormal cells have enlarged nuclei or altered cell shapes."

Once the stained cartridge is placed in the diagnostic device, the AI assesses the cell shapes to determine whether they indicate cervical cancer. The physician treats the patient based on the results produced by the diagnostic device. CEO Im mentioned, "Typically, it takes 1 to 2 weeks to receive cervical cancer test results, but by using AI, the staining takes about 10 minutes and the testing about 10 minutes, so 20 minutes are sufficient." He added, "While one physician could test 10 women for cervical cancer in a day, AI could test 50 to 100 women."

This is a screen that examines cervical cancer using Noeul's artificial intelligence (AI) medical device. When a person has cervical cancer, the shape of the cervical cells changes, allowing for detection of the disease. Malaria and blood tests are also possible based on the same principle. /Courtesy of Noeul

◇"Half of humanity is female… actively expanding overseas"

The WHO has set a goal to increase the global cervical cancer screening rate from the current 30% to 70% by 2030. CEO Im believes that the AI diagnostic market for cervical cancer will also grow, and he expressed intentions to actively enter overseas markets, stating that there is a market everywhere, as half of humanity is female.

CEO Im noted, "I consider the markets in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Vietnam to be important," adding, "In Islamic countries, cultural conservatism often prevents women from undergoing proper cervical cancer screenings, but I believe these areas will become significant markets in the future." He also mentioned plans to improve accessibility in Africa and remote mountainous areas.

Noeul received assistance from the Inter-Ministerial Project Team for Medical Device Research and Development (Inter-Ministerial Project Team) in developing medical devices for diagnosing cervical cancer. CEO Im explained, "We were selected as one of the top 10 representative projects of the Inter-Ministerial Project Team for 2025, receiving funding and consulting support," adding, "We plan to expand research and development (R&D) to develop technologies for diagnosing not only cervical cancer but also various cancers."

In addition to diagnosing cervical cancer, Noeul has developed diagnostic devices that can test for malaria and blood using the same principles. The malaria diagnosis AI MyLab has detected malaria-infected red blood cells with 98.86% accuracy. CEO Im, a graduate of the Department of Electrical Engineering at Seoul National University who worked as a bio-healthcare investor, founded Noeul in 2015. Noeul reported consolidated sales of 1.4 billion won in the first quarter, up 4,700% compared to the same period last year.