South Korean artificial intelligence (AI) company Lunit has revealed results  from a trial of its system ability to predict immunotherapy treatment outcomes in rare tumours, finding it able to lower the risk of disease progression or death by as much as 51%.

The full results are set to be announced as part of the Texas-based Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 2024 Annual Meeting. The company announced that patients whose tumour samples displayed AI-detected changes in both intratumoral immune cell (intratumoral tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte; iTIL) presence and tumour content were significantly more likely to have better treatment outcomes and respond positively to immunotherapy treatment.

Utilising the company’s Lunit SCOPE IO system to assess patient tumours, both those in pre-treatment and on-treatment biopsies from patients with rare tumours receiving pembrolizumab, the study examined more than 500 slides across more than 10 different rare tumour types. Now, the company has concluded that the AI system can effectively identify specific patterns in tumor samples that correlate with better treatment outcomes.

The study found that patients with higher pre-treatment iTIL density showed a 51% lower risk of disease progression or death. Patients who had greater iTIL density increase at on-treatment biopsy showed a 35% lower risk of disease progression. Patients who experienced both a greater iTIL density increase and tumour content decrease saw the highest results, with a 68% lower risk of disease progression or death.

Brandon Suh, CEO of Lunit, said: “These findings highlight how our AI technology can provide deep insights into the unique and challenging tumour microenvironment seen in rare cancers, and represent a critical advancement in our understanding of rare tumour biology.

“This study has demonstrated the value of Lunit SCOPE IO in an important clinical setting, showcasing its potential to personalize treatment for patients who have limited therapeutic options. We believe these advancements are a testament to the transformative impact AI can have on oncology and patient outcomes.”

The results follow Lunit’s partnership with Roche to integrate the company’s SCOPE PD-L1 AI diagnosis tool with Roche’s Digital Pathology platform. Elsewhere in the Korean market, researchers at Seoul’s Chung-Ang University have developed a new, non-invasive method form of biosensor designed for the early detection of kidney disease.