Two digital pathology heavyweights on Tuesday announced a new partnership leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance and speed up cancer diagnoses.
The collaboration will combine proprietary machine learning insights from New York-based Paige with Quest Diagnostics’ digitized slide data to pinpoint markers of cancer. Initially, they will focus on solid tumor cancers, including prostate, breast, colorectal and lung, with plans to expand to other diseases, the pair said May 25.
Ultimately, the goal is to develop regulatory-approved software products and services using AI insights from Secaucus, New Jersey-based Quest’s digital pathology data.
"As the leader in advanced diagnostics, we are excited to actively participate in the creation and use of new technologies that further the mission to make precision medicine clinically accessible, actionable and economical,” Kristie Dolan, general manager, Oncology Franchise, at Quest, said in a statement. “We are energized about contributing our expertise to Paige's computational pathology leadership to deliver insights from leading-edge technologies to improve the diagnosis of cancer and other diseases.”
The pair believes artificial intelligence systems can spot patterns and markers in tissue that are not always detected by human pathologists when analyzing tumor samples on glass slides underneath a microscope.
Financial details of the partnership weren’t disclosed, but both groups will share revenue for certain product and commercial milestones, according to the announcement.
Founded by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center physicians in 2017, Paige works with hospitals, labs and researchers to enhance pathology workflows and diagnoses. It is the first company to gain FDA breakthrough status for its computational pathology products, according to the firm’s website.
Quest Diagnostics, meanwhile, serves one in three Americans and half of physicians and hospitals in the U.S.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.