Sheba Medical Center launches accelerated cancer diagnosis platform thanks to AI

Israel's Sheba Medical Center announced on Tuesday the deployment of a new accelerated cancer diagnostics research platform powered by artificial intelligence to improve diagnosis, treatment and patient outcomes. 

The platform will enable the integration of AI developed by Sheba alongside solutions created by innovative digital health startups.

One of the first AI solutions to be deployed was developed by Imagene, an emerging leader in precision oncology, incorporating an algorithm to identify actionable biomarkers for lung cancer. 

The algorithm is applied directly to a digitized image of a conventionally stained pathology slide and can then, within minutes, identify the presence of actionable biomarkers in the tumor, providing crucial information for diagnostics.

"We have reached a new milestone in digital pathology with this ability to detect biomarkers via AI. The use of deep learning algorithms is changing the world of diagnosis and, in some cases, can dramatically reduce the cost and time of treatment," Professor Iris Barshack, Head of the Sheba Institute of Pathology, said.

This latest advance in cancer diagnosis builds on the significant progress made by the Sheba Institute of Pathology in recent years. In 2019, the hospital's pathology laboratory went fully digital, using computer screens for diagnosis instead of microscopes. 

The team then worked in collaboration with Imagene, which developed a rapid AI-based molecular profiling algorithm to identify actionable biomarkers from a single digital biopsy image.

"We are very proud to be part of this extremely important initiative by Professor Barshack to facilitate an accelerated program for the rapid diagnosis of cancer patients," remarked Dean Bitan, co-founder and CEO of Imagene. 

Imagene provides physicians with immediate oncology intelligence to ensure optimal treatment for all cancer patients.