AI-powered pathology tool to predict cancer outcomes and who will benefit from treatment
Official title: An AI-enabled Digital Pathology Platform for Multi-Cancer Diagnosis, Prognosis and Prediction of Therapeutic Benefit
Funded at Emory University · NIH-11376604 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Using artificial intelligence on routine pathology slides to predict which cancer patients are likely to benefit from additional treatments and which might safely receive less therapy, especially where expensive gene tests aren't available.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project start | September 5, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $87,480 |
| NIH project number | 3U01CA269181-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11376604 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with breast, prostate, lung, or head and neck cancers who have available pathology (H&E) slides and are facing decisions about adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy would be the most relevant candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without available tumor tissue or with cancer types not included in the training data, as well as patients needing immediate standard-of-care treatment, are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
This project applies AI and computer-vision methods to standard H&E stained tumor slides to find patterns linked to how cancers behave and respond to treatment. The team trains models using large sets of labeled slides and patient outcome information from multiple cancer types (breast, prostate, lung, head and neck). The aim is a low-cost alternative to expensive gene-expression tests so doctors can better decide if a patient needs added chemotherapy or radiation or could have treatment reduced. Work is being developed at Emory and partner institutions building on prior promising digital pathology results from the investigators.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the tool could help patients avoid unnecessary chemotherapy or radiation, reducing side effects, costs, and overtreatment.
How similar studies have gone: Prior digital pathology and pathomics work, including studies by this research team, have shown promising predictive signals but remain less established than commercial gene-expression tests.
Where this research is happening
-
Emory University
Atlanta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Madabhushi, Anant — Emory University
- Study coordinator: Madabhushi, Anant
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.