Roche Diagnostics is collaborating with the University of Liverpool to launch the Eye Cancer Artificial Intelligence Digital Bioresource (EYE-CAN-AID), a multi-modal image database that aims to boost the early detection of rare eye cancers.
The UK university said the bioresource will offer reliable, long-term storage of clinical images and cancer samples to support research into understanding the causes of eye cancers and the development of new biomarkers to predict which treatments will be effective.
Led by the University’s Liverpool Ocular Oncology Research Group (LOORG), EYE-CAN-AID builds on an eye cancer biobank the university established 14 years’ ago in association with the Liverpool Ocular Oncology Centre (LOOC), one of the UK’s three specialist eye cancer centres.
With the bioresource’s launch, there are plans to connect the UK’s other eye specialist centres, which are based in Sheffield and London, to integrate clinical, radiological, histological, and genetic data of consenting patients.
EYE-CAN-AID’s infrastructure is supported by Roche Diagnostics’ VENTANA DP 600 digital pathology slide scanners, which digitise glass slide tissue samples and works in conjunction with Roche’s artificial intelligence (AI)-based image analysis algorithms. The University of Liverpool signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Roche Diagnostics UK & Ireland last year to advance research and innovation for improved health and community prosperity.
According to the university, the ability of Roche’s scanners to provide high-quality digital images of rare ocular (eye) tumours and subsequent interpretation will benefit patients by improving diagnosis and treatment pathways, and support researchers in developing improved diagnostic tools for more personalised eye cancer treatments.
LOORG director professor Sarah Coupland commented: “By uniting clinicians, researchers, industry, and charities, we’re advancing our understanding of eye cancer, its causes, and treatments.”
“Our collaboration with the University of Liverpool has created a first-of-its-kind digital repository for rare eye cancer,” said Luke Benko, international business leader for digital pathology at Roche Diagnostics.
“The goal is to provide an equitable and accessible resource to the scientific community, potentially improving disease treatment, enabling researchers and doctors worldwide to benefit and helping enhance patient care,” Benko added.
There are approximately 1000 new eye cancer cases in the UK each year. The mortality rate of eye cancer can be as high as 50%, with all forms carrying the risk of visual impairment, blindness, or facial disfigurement.
In other eye health news, a research team led by the University of Edinburgh is using AI to develop a software tool for use by optometrists to detect dementia risk from routine eye tests.
