Geographic AI for sharper cancer surveillance
Official title: Refining Small-Area Cancer Surveillance Through AI-Driven Spatial Clustering
Funded at Baylor University · NIH-11357426 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new AI-based method uses smart geographic grouping to map cancer patterns more accurately than county-wide reports, especially in big urban areas and rural Texas.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R03 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Waco, United States) |
| Project start | July 17, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $168,839 |
| NIH project number | 1R03CA313568-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11357426 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
N/A for this grant (this is a population-level surveillance method, not a patient-intervention study).
✕Less likely to help
N/A for this grant (not a direct patient-facing trial).
What this research studies
This project will replace traditional county boundaries with AI-driven geographic clusters that balance available data with meaningful neighborhood detail. Researchers will combine cancer data with demographic and geographic information to form homogeneous, high-utility areas for surveillance. The study aims to improve detection of breast, colorectal, and lung cancer patterns to guide targeted public health actions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, communities could see more precise monitoring of cancer risk and faster, better-targeted prevention efforts.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary work has shown that spatial clustering can reveal geographic patterns not seen with county-level reporting, though past approaches were more rigid.
Where this research is happening
-
Baylor University
Waco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Benavidez, Gabriel a — Baylor University
- Study coordinator: Benavidez, Gabriel a
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.