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A team of researchers from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has been awarded up to $10 million to Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to develop the Center for Cancer Identification and Precision Oncology (CIPOC).
Harnessing artificial intelligence, the project is designed to improve cancer diagnosis and support personalized treatments by rapidly aggregating and analyzing a wide range of health data, including electronic health records, histopathological and radiological images, claims insurance 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 the equity and quality of cancer care.
It will also create an adaptable system for healthcare providers across diverse sites and resources, UNC said.
WHAT IS 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 cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Ultimately, UNC would like to see it expanded, first to all of North Carolina, then to the United States.
The three-year project will focus on creating an oncology learning health system at UNC Health, with potential for expansion. A learning health system integrates scientific evidence, data and culture into daily care with a commitment to continuous improvement, UNC said.
CIPOC will use AI tools, including extensive language modeling, to quickly standardize, harmonize and link structured and unstructured data from multiple sources, which UNC says will enable more accurate tracking and processing of different types of cancer.
It will also develop an AI-driven virtual multidisciplinary tumor board to support the delivery of precision oncology care. The board will use AI-ready datasets, including clinical data derived from electronic health records and histopathology and radiology images, to help inform prediction of risk and tumor progression, as well as decision-making in terms of treatment.
CIPOC will make its data tools open source, allowing them to be scaled and adapted by health systems of any size, UNC said.
THE BIGGEST TREND
Three-quarters of U.S. healthcare providers and payers increased their IT spending last year, with artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and IT infrastructure among the top areas of investment, according to a study. study by Bain & Company and KLAS Research.
AI adoption is gaining traction, with 15% of providers and 25% of payers reporting having an established AI strategy in 2024, the report said.
Jeff Lagasse is editor-in-chief of Healthcare Finance News.
E-mail: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.