Lunit, a provider of AI for cancer diagnostics and precision oncology, and laboratory services firm Labcorp, have announced a collaborative initiative to accelerate innovation in digital pathology and artificial intelligence for oncology research and clinical care.
The collaboration aims to leverage Labcorp's extensive clinical and pathology expertise alongside Lunit's cutting-edge AI algorithms to transform how tumour microenvironments are analysed and interpreted. 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 recent scientific conferences:
- Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC): Study demonstrated how AI-based spatial profiling and machine learning can identify immune-active subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumours with the MET exon 14 skipping mutation, which are associated with improved immunotherapy outcomes. Using Lunit SCOPE IO, researchers analysed more than 370 pathology slides to characterise 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 NSCLC.
- Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP): Study highlighted distinct tumour-immune microenvironments linked to different MET alterations in NSCLC, revealing immune-desert phenotypes in MET-amplified tumours, and inflamed phenotypes in those with MET exon 14 skipping tumours.
"Collaborating with Labcorp, one of the most respected leaders in diagnostics and clinical research, marks an important step toward expanding the real-world use of AI in oncology. These early studies show how AI can reveal meaningful, predictive biomarkers hidden within pathology slides," said Brandon Suh, CEO of Lunit. "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."
"Our collaboration with Lunit aims to turn complex pathology data into meaningful insights," said Shakti Ramkissoon MD PhD MBA, Vice President and Medical Lead for Oncology at Labcorp. "These studies demonstrate how AI-powered digital pathology can reveal patterns within tumours - ultimately helping to guide treatment decisions, inform biomarker development, and pave the way for more personalised cancer care."
Labcorp and Lunit plan to further broaden their collaboration by applying digital pathology AI to additional cancer types and genomic correlations.