The project

In this project scientists at the University of Warwick’s Tissue Image Analytics Laboratory are working with Intel, as part of the strategic partnership with The Alan Turing Institute, to create a large, digital repository of a variety of tumour and immune cells found in thousands of human tissue samples, and are developing algorithms to recognise these cells automatically to help improve cancer treatments.

The digital pathology imaging solution aims to enable pathologists to increase their accuracy and reliability in analysing cancerous tissue specimens over what can be achieved with existing methods.

The initial work focuses on lung cancer. The University of Warwick and Intel are collaborating to improve a model for computers to recognize cellular distinctions associated with various grades and types of lung cancer by using artificial intelligence frameworks such as TensorFlow running on Intel® Xeon® processors.

UHCW is annotating the digital pathology images to help inform the model. The aim is to create a model that will eventually be useful in many types of cancer – creating more objective results, lowering the risk of human errors, and aiding oncologists and patients in their selection of treatments.

This digital pathology imaging solution will be the next step in revolutionising traditional healthcare with computerised systems and could be placed in any pathology department, in any hospital.

The successful adoption of these tools will stimulate better organisation of services, gains in efficiency, and above all, better care for patients, especially those with cancer.

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