Together, a renowned scientist-clinician in prostate cancer and a philanthropist with a keen interest in the confluence of health care and innovative technologies have jump-started an effort combining artificial intelligence (AI) and cancer-risk assessment. This new project has the potential to transform risk assessment, diagnoses, and treatment options for prostate cancer patients well into the future.
A career scientist, Brion Wise is passionate about supporting research that advances the greater good of humanity, especially early-stage projects involving technology.
“I’m really curious about artificial intelligence,” Wise said. “I've been watching it for several years, and I feel it's going to be the future of understanding the body and health. It’s going to change the medical field.”
Wise expressed his keen interest in the intersection of AI and medicine to Peter Carroll, MD, MPH, the Ken and Donna Derr-Chevron Distinguished Professor of Prostate Cancer in the UCSF Department of Urology. Their ongoing communication stems from Dr. Carroll caring for Wise during his prostate cancer diagnosis. With a history of philanthropy, Wise had previously supported Dr. Carroll’s clinical trial of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET imaging. This technique, now FDA-approved, has revolutionized prostate cancer detection and treatment.
Wise’s timing was impeccable. It so happened that Dr. Carroll was in the early stages of developing a new approach using a form of AI called deep learning for large-scale analysis of outcomes of men with prostate cancer.
“We were on the same page immediately,” Wise said. “I'm always thinking about how I can help move an idea forward, and when I find someone that can make it happen, then I support them to make it happen.”
UCSF’s Department of Urology has one of the largest biorepositories of patient tumor samples in the world – primarily from prostate cancer, but also from other urological cancers – that are linked to a detailed clinical database of health outcomes. For years Dr. Carroll has considered deploying AI to analyze the biopsies pixel by pixel. With the rapid advancement of AI technology, especially in medicine, and Wise’s commitment to support this work, Dr. Carroll was able to dedicate time and resources to focus on the Histologic Assessments for Long-term Outcomes in Prostate Cancer (HALO) study.
The study centers around scanning tumor biopsy slides for analysis by Arteria AI, a well-established AI company and partner of UCSF. Arteria will assess the images to generate new insights and find patterns that pathologists are unable to reliably detect visually. To facilitate this process, the department operates two scanners that run continuously, both day and night. The team has successfully scanned the glass slides of more than 1,250 patients who have been treated for their disease. These images will be processed soon. Moreover, the department is moving forward with a second cohort of men under active surveillance in lieu of immediate treatment, to see if it can predict those who will need treatment. However, the department has no plans to end there. It is planning to conduct similar studies in patients diagnosed with other types of cancers.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the US and 113 other countries. Yet, because data collected from prostate cancer assessment tools might not be as accurate as medical professionals initially thought, up to 30% of patients might be getting inaccurate risk information. The hope is that AI will fill in information that the human eye misses, providing new and accurate information that can help doctors and patients make better-informed decisions about diagnoses and treatment.
“AI can democratize health care for cancer patients by providing more personalized assessments, reducing costs and increasing access,” Dr. Carroll said. “People all over the world may be able to bypass expensive ancillary tests sending scans to be read for a fraction of the cost. And it is likely to produce quicker and more accurate results.
“This is a big deal for the Department of Urology. We want to do something new, that has value and that can be used around the world. This is exciting, innovative, and likely life-changing for many. It would not be possible without Brion’s curiosity and support.”