Using AI to identify social factors affecting cancer patients' health
Official title: FY24 SBIR PHASE IITOPIC NO. 423 PROJECT TITLE: "PASSIVE AND ACTIVE AI SCREENING FOR SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AND INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES IN THE CANCER PATIENT POPULATION".
Funded at Pieces Technologies, INC. · NIH-11202510 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is testing new AI tools that help doctors find important social factors affecting cancer patients' health, by looking at medical notes and chatting with patients, to see if they can identify these factors in a third of patients and improve their care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Pieces Technologies, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Irving, United States) |
| Project start | September 16, 2024 |
| Project end | September 15, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $1,999,994 |
| NIH project number | 75N91024C00086-0-9999-1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11202510 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are oncology patients who may be affected by social determinants of health.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have cancer or those who are not receiving treatment at participating cancer centers may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research aims to develop artificial intelligence tools that can automatically identify and categorize social determinants of health (SDOH) in cancer patients. It includes two main components: an AI-driven tool that analyzes clinical notes and a conversational AI agent that actively engages with patients to screen for SDOH. The goal is to successfully identify at least one SDOH in 35% of oncology patients during a clinical trial at MetroHealth cancer centers. The research will also evaluate how well these tools are accepted by users and their effectiveness in improving patient outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to better understanding and addressing the social factors that impact cancer treatment and outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown promise in using AI to analyze social determinants of health, indicating that this approach could be effective.
Where this research is happening
-
Pieces Technologies, INC.
Irving, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Amarasingham, Ruben — Pieces Technologies, INC.
- Study coordinator: Amarasingham, Ruben
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.