Oncode Investigator Jeroen de Ridder (UMCU) and Oncode Institute portfolio company Cyclomics have received PPP subsidy from Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (Health~Holland) to further develop AI-driven software that identifies brain tumor type during surgery (Sturgeon). This could open the door for the technology to be adopted by numerous clinical centres around the globe.
In the Netherlands, 1,400 adults and 150 children are diagnosed with a tumor in the brain or spinal cord every year. These central nervous system (CNS) tumors represent one of the most lethal cancer types, particularly among children. Primary treatment includes resection of the tumor, which requires maximising the extent of resection and minimising risk of neurological damage and comorbidity. However, until now, surgeons could only have limited knowledge of the tumor type prior to surgery.
Led by Oncode Investigator Jeroen de Ridder, Oncode Researchers from UMC Utrecht have developed a ‘deep-learning algorithm’, a form of artificial intelligence, which significantly speeds up the diagnosis.
Using the Health~Holland PPP subsidy, the algorithm, trained and tested using the biobank at the Prinses Máxima Center, and further successfully used during live surgery last year - will be developed further.
The PPP project is titled 'DISCUS: Development and Implementation of Software for Classification of brain tumors Using real-time methylation Sequencing'. The DISCUS consortium will now develop better versions of the AI-classification models for brain cancer, and also develop a software package - termed Epinn - with a user interface and a data reporting module for routine clinical use of the AI models.
"Beyond brain cancer, our AI models can be used for many other cancer types for which classification is important for determining optimal treatment trajectories" says Oncode Investigator Jeroen de Ridder. "Methylation is a very strong biomarker to type cancers, and we are at the beginning of a new wave of diagnostic solutions that combine novel AI technologies with DNA and methylation profiling to radically improve the way we diagnose cancer."
"The support from Health~Holland through this PPP subsidy strongly accelerates the development of advanced AI-driven diagnostic solutions at Cyclomics", says Cyclomics CEO Wigard Kloosterman. "The clinical value of ultra-rapid classification of brain cancers has already been demonstrated, and this initiative will pave the way for expansion of the technology to many clinical centres worldwide".