A team of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) students has achieved a groundbreaking victory on the international stage.

Team NeoScreenix from Buet secured first place in Digital Health at the 2025 Johns Hopkins Healthcare Design Competition, surpassing several top globally renowned institutions.

The annual competition — organised by Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design (CBID), within the university's Department of Biomedical Engineering — drew participation from more than 440 teams representing over 200 global universities.

Team NeoScreenix, comprising five CSE students — Fahmida Sultana, HM Shadman, Sadatul Islam, Md Hasnain Adil, and Prithu Anan — stood out for their innovative early breast cancer detection technology.

Their proposal centres around a self-screening mobile application and device that enables women to detect potential signs of breast cancer at an early stage.

The technology, inspired by personal experiences and public health concerns, integrates artificial intelligence, user-friendly UI/UX, and portable imaging devices, all led under the strategic vision of Fahmida Sultana.

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BUET’s journey to ICPC Glory

Despite receiving no recognition in a previous local competition, the team used that experience to refine their project. After being shortlisted as one of six global finalists on March 10, they presented their final pitch online on April 12.

This time, NeoScreenix was declared the champion in the Digital Health category, earning $5,000 in prize money, which they plan to invest in further research and development.

The team's work was guided by Professor Md Sohel Rahman of Buet's CSE department, with critical contributions from Zarin Tasnim of Dhaka Medical College and Ribatul Islam of Rangpur Medical College for data collection.

Looking ahead, NeoScreenix aims to raise awareness of breast cancer in rural Bangladesh and eventually scale their technology for public use, considering the country's socio-economic context.