VISION Trial Employs AI and Digital Twins to Tailor Breast Cancer Treatment

The first patient has been recruited for the VISION trial, which evaluates the role of digital twins and AI in tailoring treatment for breast cancer. The study focuses on personalizing care and improving outcomes by predicting therapy responses, marking a significant step forward in developing better cancer treatments.

Concr has announced the recruitment of the first patients for the VISION trial, an observational study focused on early Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). This UK-Australia collaborative effort, sponsored by the Innovate UK Precision Medicine project, aims to evaluate predictive biomarkers for chemotherapy and immunotherapy using AI and digital twins. By analyzing up to 200 women, the trial seeks to personalize treatments and enhance outcomes for this aggressive form of cancer.

The Role of AI in Cancer Treatment

A key feature of the VISION trial is the use of Concr’s FarrSight®-Twin technology, which employs machine learning to create a digital twin for each participant. This digital twin integrates genomic data from diagnostic and surgical samples, whole-slide imaging, and clinical data to predict individual responses to chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Dr. Uzma Asghar, Concr’s Chief Scientific Officer and VISION Project Lead, highlighted the significance of this study, stating, “Triple Negative breast cancer is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer. Hence, Concr has prioritised this clinical indication as a key research area by sponsoring the VISION study. The VISION study will test the value created through the combination of clinical data, genomic data and machine learning approaches for enabling treatment stratification at an individual level. We believe this approach will represent the next generation of diagnostic platforms in cancer care.”

The VISION Trial: A Closer Look

VISION (NCT06409221) is a retrospective observational study focusing on women who were previously diagnosed with early TNBC and underwent chemotherapy followed by curative surgery. Over the next 24 months, researchers will collect and analyze historical clinical data along with archival cancer biopsy samples. The goal is to identify and validate biomarkers that can predict how patients respond to chemotherapy, both with and without the addition of immunotherapy.

Dr. Navita Somaiah, Principal Investigator at The Institute of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden, expressed optimism about the project’s potential. “We’re very pleased to take the next step in this innovative project, which is using AI to try to uncover new methods to predict which women with triple negative breast cancer may respond better or less well to current therapies. We hope this collaboration will ultimately help to guide treatment for some women with this form of breast cancer" she said.

The FarrSight® technology not only predicts treatment outcomes but also explores the biological mechanisms behind the varying sensitivity to treatments. This could lead to more personalized and effective strategies for managing TNBC, which disproportionately affects black women.

Dr. Irina Babina, CEO of Concr, emphasized the practical benefits of AI in healthcare, stating, “While much of the dialogue surrounding AI in healthcare focuses on its potential, we must not overlook the fact that AI tools can - and do - deliver tangible benefits to patients today. VISION is testing a novel individualised care approach designed by clinicians, leveraging latest technology alongside existing diagnostic tests, to facilitate rapid adoption.”  

About Author: Mithat Can Turan

I am a software developer and a 4th-year Computer Engineering student at the Turkish-German University. I have worked on numerous software projects, especially those related to healthcare. My primary interests lie in digital health and AI applications within healthcare projects. I closely follow the latest developments in AI and digital health.