The recent Oral Epithelial Dysplasia (OED) Workshop, held at The Edge in Sheffield on 18 November 2024, marked a significant milestone for the ANTICIPATE project. Since its inception in 2020, this Cancer Research UK (CRUK)-funded collaboration between the TIA Centre at Warwick and the Neopath team at Sheffield has aimed to revolutionise the grading of OED. By leveraging AI-based tools, the project has sought to refine grading methodologies while uncovering novel biomarkers to improve clinical outcomes.

The journey to Sheffield was picturesque—driving through the Peak District in autumnal splendour was a treat. However, true to tradition, my visit to Sheffield coincided with snow, which started just as I was heading home. It seems I’ve yet to visit Sheffield without encountering snow!

With the ANTICIPATE project now drawing to a close, this workshop provided an opportunity to reflect on its achievements, discuss challenges, and plan for future directions, including upcoming funding opportunities. It was also fantastic to meet collaborators in person—many for the first time—after years of seeing them only on Zoom calls.

Attendees included surgeons, pathologists, oncologists, computer scientists and patient representatives from across the UK, all unified in their commitment to improving OED diagnosis and prognosis. The day featured engaging presentations and thought-provoking group discussions.

Presentations from the TIA Centre and Neopath Teams

• Prof Ali Khurram and Prof Nasir Rajpoot: Clinical Problem, Research Aims, and the Promise of Computational Pathology.
  Ali and Nasir set the stage with an overview of the clinical challenges in OED management and highlighting the transformative potential of computational pathology in overcoming these barriers.

· Dr Hanya Mahmood: Histological feature-based models for malignant transformation prediction in oral dysplasia (NIHR).
Hanya presented her predictive 2- and 6-point models, which enhance the OED WHO and binary grading schemes by incorporating digitised features for improved prognostic accuracy.

• Dr Adam Shephard: AI Pipelines for Dysplasia Grading & Clinical Outcome Prediction (ANTICIPATE, CRUK).
  I showcased the core AI-driven innovations of ANTICIPATE, including robust pipelines for dysplasia grading and predictive modelling. Highlights included OMTscoring, ODYN, and biomarker discovery involving intra- and peri-epithelial lymphocytes.
• Dr Abdullah Alsalemi: AI Analysis of Oral Dysplasia Using Clinical Photographs (Precision Vision, CRUK).
  Abdullah demonstrated the use of clinical photography in AI-driven dysplasia analysis, offering insights into its integration alongside histological data.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank CRUK for funding the ANTICIPATE Project and Adam’s role in this project.