The collaboration combines Labcorp’s clinical expertise with Lunit’s AI algorithms to analyze tumor microenvironments and enhance biomarker discovery.
Lunit, an artificial intelligence (AI) provider for cancer diagnostics and precision oncology, and Labcorp have announced a collaboration to accelerate innovation in digital pathology and AI for oncology research and clinical care.
The partnership leverages Labcorp’s clinical and pathology expertise alongside Lunit’s AI algorithms to analyze and interpret tumor microenvironments. By combining high-resolution whole-slide imaging with AI-powered spatial profiling, the collaboration seeks to generate new insights that can enhance biomarker discovery and guide precision immuno-oncology strategies.
The first outcome of the collaboration was showcased at two scientific conferences:
- Association for Molecular Pathology: Study highlighted distinct tumor-immune microenvironments linked to different MET alterations in non-small cell lung cancer, revealing immune-desert phenotypes in MET-amplified tumors, and inflamed phenotypes in those with MET exon 14 skipping tumors.
- Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer: Study demonstrated how AI-based spatial profiling and machine learning can identify immune-active subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer tumors with the MET exon 14 skipping mutation, which are associated with improved immunotherapy outcomes. Using Lunit SCOPE IO, researchers analyzed more than 370 pathology slides to characterize immune phenotypes across different types of MET alterations, including exon 14 skipping, amplification, or no mutation (wildtype). Immune gene expression analysis further validated the AI-defined immune phenotypes and revealed key immune response pathways driving the inflamed phenotype, underscoring the predictive power of AI-based spatial profiling in MET-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.
“These early studies show how AI can reveal meaningful, predictive biomarkers hidden within pathology slides,” says Brandon Suh, CEO of Lunit, in a release. “It’s a clear example of how digital pathology and AI can work hand in hand to advance precision oncology understanding, bridging discovery research and real-world clinical care.”
Expanding Digital Pathology Applications
The collaboration aims to turn complex pathology data into actionable clinical insights. The AI-powered digital pathology approach is designed to reveal patterns within tumors that could help guide treatment decisions and inform biomarker development for more personalized cancer care.
“Our collaboration with Lunit aims to turn complex pathology data into meaningful insights,” says Shakti Ramkissoon, MD, PhD, MBA, vice president and medical lead for oncology at Labcorp, in a release. “These studies demonstrate how AI-powered digital pathology can reveal patterns within tumors—ultimately helping to guide treatment decisions, inform biomarker development, and pave the way for more personalized cancer care.”
Labcorp and Lunit plan to broaden their collaboration by applying digital pathology AI to additional cancer types and genomic correlations.
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