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UNC to establish AI-driven oncology center

UNC would like to see the project scaled, first across North Carolina, and then across the U.S.

Jeff Lagasse, Editor

Photo: Westend61/Getty Images

A team of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill researchers has been awarded up to $10 million in Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) funding to develop the Cancer Identification and Precision Oncology Center (CIPOC).

Harnessing artificial intelligence, the project is designed to improve cancer diagnosis and support personalized treatments by quickly aggregating and analyzing a wide range of health data, including electronic health records, histopathological and radiological images, insurance claims and geographic information.

Specifically, CIPOC will facilitate the development of an oncology health learning system that uses AI-ready data to generate real-time identification of new cancer cases, support patient recruitment for research, recommend precision cancer care and help improve cancer care equity and quality.

It also will create an adaptable system for health providers across diverse locations and resources, UNC said.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT?

The project will organize and facilitate collaborative research conducted by faculty, staff and trainees from more than 12 schools, centers, departments and programs at UNC-Chapel Hill. The goal is to create data tools that researchers and practitioners can use at UNC to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Eventually, UNC would like to see it scaled, first across North Carolina and then across the U.S.

The three-year project will focus on building an oncology learning health system at UNC Health, with the potential to expand. A learning health system integrates scientific evidence, data and culture into daily care with a commitment to continuous improvement, UNC said.

CIPOC will utilize AI tools, including large language modeling, to quickly standardize, harmonize and link structured and unstructured data from multiple sources, which UNC said will enable more precise tracking and treatment for different cancer types.

It also will develop an AI-driven virtual multidisciplinary tumor board to support the provision of precision oncology care. The board will use AI-ready datasets, including electronic health record-derived clinical data and histopathological and radiological images, to help inform prediction of risk and tumor progression, as well as treatment decision-making.

CIPOC will make its data tools open source, allowing them to be scaled and adapted by health systems of any size, UNC said.

THE LARGER TREND

Three-quarters of U.S. healthcare providers and payers increased their IT spending this past year, with artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and IT infrastructure among the chief areas of investment, according to a study by Bain & Company and KLAS Research.

Adoption of AI is gaining traction, with 15% of providers and 25% of payers reporting an established AI strategy in 2024, the report said.

Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.