"It's like giving pathologists the super resolution vision of Superman or Superwoman to scan millions of invisible biomarkers in a tiny tissue sample to find the two or three that are showing signs of cancer."
New AI Tool Reads Tissue "Biomarkers" to Predict Cancer
Scientists at Australia's QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute have developed a new AI-powered screening tool called STimage. This technology leverages spatial biology analysis to predict breast, skin, and kidney cancers, as well as a liver immune disease, while also assessing patient prognosis and potential treatment response.
Published in Nature Communications, the tool is designed to be reliable, low-cost, and easy for pathologists to interpret.
Associate Professor Quan Nguyen, who led the development, explained that STimage "makes a diagnostic prediction and mathematically computes the level of certainty about the result." He emphasized that the AI is designed to assist, not replace, pathologists.
The team is optimistic about the tool's future, hoping STimage could be integrated into clinical practice within the next two years.