Harnessing AI for cancer prevention and treatment

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A new project proposes to use the power of artificial intelligence to improve cancer prevention and treatment in Norway.

NEXTMAP is a state-of-the-art project aimed at revolutionising cancer care through advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The project proposal was recently submitted to the Norwegian Research Council by Oslo Cancer Cluster and a wide network of national and international partners.

“NEXTMAP aims to transform cancer care by integrating innovative AI methodologies to predict and manage complex medical events. This endeavor is rooted in the promise of AI to offer more precise and timely interventions, improving patient outcomes while optimising healthcare resources,” said Ketil Widerberg, general manager of Oslo Cancer Cluster.

The multidisciplinary collaboration gathers leading researchers from across Norway, including NTNU, the University of Bergen, Vestre Viken, the Arctic University of Norway, the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, uniting expertise from various fields to foster innovation in cancer research and AI development. International partners include University of Oxford and University of Cambridge.

Predicting the future

The core team consists of Ole Christian Lingjærde, Professor and Head of Scientific Computing and Machine Learning group at University of Oslo, and Tarjei Hveem, PhD, Interim Head of Institute for Cancer Genetics and Informatics, along with Widerberg.

“The project will make use of cutting-edge AI techniques, such as advanced multimodal models for integration of different types of content, transfer learning, multi-agent systems that enable complex problem solving through collaboration of multiple AI agents, and generative AI for content creation. Using AI we will be able to transform a sequence of past health-related events for a patient into a unified representation,” commented Lingjærde.

The primary focus is on enhancing cancer prevention, diagnostics, and treatment, with potential applications extending across various sectors and industries.

“To optimise treatment and follow-up for the individual patients in the future we have to ‘learn from every patient’. In a situation with more and more complex and detailed data from several sources, artificial intelligence will be the answer to that challenge,” commented Sigbjørn Smeland, Head of the Norwegian Radium Hospital.

Using Norwegian data

NEXTMAP involves developing a foundation model for cancer medicine, leveraging extensive hospital records, national cancer registries, public databases, and scientific publications. This foundation model will be capable of considering the impact of medical actions on patients, the healthcare system, and society, even when data is incomplete or multimodal.

“AI by deep learning is a game changer in most fields, including cancer pathology. The new algorithms can automate manual tasks in pathology. They can guide the pathologist in their work. Furthermore, they can perform tasks exceeding pathologists’ routine capacities, such as the prediction of patient survival directly from the routine HE-section. With the digitalisation of pathology in Norwegian hospitals, the potential in AI-supported pathology can finally be realised,” commented Hveem.

According to the proposal, the project will ensure that ethical considerations, data privacy, fairness, and explainability are integral to the AI systems. The project team is committed to adhering to stringent ethical guidelines and regulations.

Full list of project partners with representatives:

  • Arctic University of Norway: Therese H. Nøst, Tonje Braathen, Torkjel Sandanger
  • Cancer Registry of Norway: Jan F. Nygård, Solveig Hofvind
  • Oslo Cancer Cluster: Ketil Widerberg
  • Vestre Viken Hospital Trust: Kristine Sahlberg
  • NTNU: Mette Langaas, Thea Bjørnland, Pål Sætrom, Åsmund Flobak
  • University of Bergen: Leif Oltedal
  • University of Magdeburg: Alexander Binder
  • University of Oslo: Arnoldo Frigessi, Jim Tørresen, John-Michael Gran, Kai Ellefsen, Kjetil Røysland, Magne Thoresen, Manuela Zucknick, Ole Christian Lingjærde, Valeria Vitelli
  • University of Oxford: David Kerr
  • University of Cambridge: Sylvia Richardson
  • Norwegian Cancer Society
  • Oslo University Hospital: Andreas Kleppe, Eivind Hovig, Gunhild Mælandsmo, Inger Nina Farstad, Karsten Eilertsen, Kjetil Taskén, Mads Haugen, Ole-Johan Skrede, Olivier Boissou, Sigbjørn Smeland, Tarjei Hveem, Tero Aittokallio, Torje Vegar Pedersen, Vessela Kristensen, Åslaug Helland

Summer vibes in our house

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Colleagues in the cancer field celebrated the start of summer at Oslo Cancer Cluster yesterday.

The annual summer gathering at Oslo Cancer Cluster brought together researchers, clinicians, innovators, industry representatives, politicians, and more, for a festive event on 13 June.

“Cancer affects us all. It does not discriminate by age, gender or nationality. This shared challenge calls for a united front, bringing together researchers, practicioners, industry leaders, and policymakers nationally and from around the world. Oslo Cancer Cluster has successfully created a vibrant eco-system where such multidisciplinary collaborations can flourish, driving forward the frontiers of cancer research and treatment. Your work and efforts are important both today and for future generations,” said State Secretary Ivar Bühring Prestbakmo, Ministry of Education & Research, in his opening remarks.

State Secretary Ivar Bühring Prestbakmo, Ministry of Education & Research, gave the opening remarks. Photo: Margit Selsjord

The first part of the event included short presentations from new members and a variety of older members. There was also an overview of upcoming events and an outlook on Oslo Cancer Cluster’s future activities.

The second part was dedicated to delicious afternoon coffee and networking among friendly colleagues. The attendees made new connections, exchanged knowledge with one another, and got a well-deserved break during this hectic summer month.

New members

Levanger Hospital and Cody AS were presented as the most recent additions to the cluster.

The Levanger Hospital has extensive research activity, with 117 peer-reviewed papers last year and many PhDs every year. The cancer department has six doctors and ten nurses. They see 600 patients and perform 6000 consultations every year. They have 13 ongoing trials and participate in many national trials as well.

Oluf D. Røe, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Oncology, Levanger Hospital, presented the hospitals cancer research activities. Photo: Margit Selsjord

“It has been a pleasure to work with Oslo Cancer Cluster for several years on the Cancer Biomarker Symposium. Biomarkers has been one of the important areas I focus on, especially for early diagnosis and prediction of treatment. We have support from the Norwegian Cancer Society for the E-Lung Project, in which we have developed models to pick the right persons for screening. Instead of treating people in the last stage, we can cure people in the early stage. We are also developing an app for general practicioners to help motivate patients to stop smoking,” commented Oluf D. Røe, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Oncology, Levanger Hospital.

Cody AS is an engineering firm that develops, designs, and constructs customized production equipment. The company is a primary supplier of specially designed solutions for pharmaceutical production and the radiopharmaceutical industry in Norway.

Magnus S. Larsen, Head of Sales, Cody, gave insights in Cody’s contributions to radiopharmaceutical production. Photo: Margit Selsjord

“Cody has been closely involved with the pharmaceutical and radiopharmaceutical industry for many years, contributing to most stages of development and production. This includes research on manufacturing processes, to custom hot cell and lab equipment, as well as full-scale GMP production and packaging machinery. For the best possible results for our customers, it is instrumental for us to be involved as early as possible. We find that getting to know the core technology is essential to developing simple and robust solutions,” said Magnus S. Larsen, Head of Sales, Cody.

NorTrials update

Signe Ø. Fretland,  Head of NorTrials Coordinating Unit, Oslo University Hospital, also gave an update. NorTrials is one of several initiatives in the National Action Plan on Clinical Trials launched in 2021, and is a private-public partnership to strengthen the collaboration between the healthcare industry and the Norwegian healthcare system.

“The global competition to attract clinical trials to Europe from pharma and medtech companies, and the challenge for Norway to stand out as a preferred country, has been increasing over the past decade,” commented Fretland.

Signe Ø. Fretland,  Head of NorTrials Coordinating Unit, Oslo University Hospital provided a look into the status on clinical trials in Norway. Photo: Margit Selsjord

“One key to succeed is collaboration; a close partnership between healthcare and industry, but also with academia and patients, is fundamental to create an attractive environment for clinical trials. I am sure that Oslo Cancer Cluster has been and will be playing an important role in this aspect,” added Fretland.

Radforsk website launched

The day also marked the launch of the new Radforsk website and logo. Radforsk is an early-stage evergreen investment fund dedicated to oncology, and one of the most successful pre-seed investment firms in Europe.

Please click the fresh logo below to access the brand-new website.

 

We hope to see you again as our activities pick up again in the autumn – with Arendalsuka, Nordic Life  Science Days, the Intelligent Health Conference, Lung Cancer Symposium, BIO-Europe, EHiN and many more exciting events to come. Please visit our Event calendar to get more information.

 

 

 

Geir Hetland joins the board of Oslo Cancer Cluster

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Geir Hetland, Chief Financial Officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific, is the latest addition to the board of Oslo Cancer Cluster.

“I wish to contribute to the strategic direction and success of Oslo Cancer Cluster. The organisation has a great foundation to further develop to become one of the leading cancer clusters worldwide,” commented Hetland after he was elected at Oslo Cancer Cluster’s general assembly last week.

Hetland brings 30 years of experience from the life science industry ranging from global companies to start-ups. He has worked 15 years for AstraZeneca, both as Chief Financial Officer in Norway and as European Business Director supporting the 7 largest European countries with base in Brussel.

Expanding the innovation park

After spending close to 14 years in Thermo Fisher Scientific, Hetland is now the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Thermo Fisher Scientific is a key player in the current expansion of Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park. The company has signed a lease for nearly four floors (two lab floors and two office floors) compromising almost 75 per cent of the entire fourth tower being constructed on the western side of the premises.

“Thermo Fisher Scientific has always been located close to Radiumhospitalet (Oslo University Hospital) with close collaboration with the hospital. This has been a win-win situation for both sides, and we would like to even strengthen this further moving forward. Radiumhospitalet is the birthplace of some of the greatest innovations in multiple cancer fields bringing better cancer treatments to patients,” said Hetland.

Supporting cancer start-ups

Going forward, Hetland wishes to increase Oslo Cancer Cluster’s capacity to help start-ups so that new cancer innovations faster reach patients.

“Oslo Cancer Cluster mission is dedicated to improving the lives of cancer patients by accelerating the development of new cancer diagnostics and treatments. This will always be the number 1 priority! To achieve this, we need to ensure that start-up companies are positioned to succeed in everything from capital funding, sufficient expansion space with research labs and all the way to readout of patient data in their clinical trials.”

 

 

Home testing to improve cancer prevention

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Can home tests engage more people in cancer screening and save more lives?

“In Norway, 70% of all women are participating in the cervical cancer screening programme, which means 30% are not. Our goal is to include all and we need to get more women to participate,” said Sara Underland Mjelva, Leader of the Section for Prevention at the Norwegian Cancer Society.

This comment was made in a discussion about home testing during the webinar Results from the AnteNOR project: Norway’s way towards precision prevention at Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park last week.

Reaching women at home

Home testing for HPV has been tested recently in Norway in a randomized clinical trial, led by Bo Terning Hansen, Senior Researcher at The Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The trial addressed women who hadn’t been screened for at least ten years.

“We found a huge difference in participation between the three control arms. Of those that just got the reminder letter, only 4% participated. While of those that received the test, 28% participated. That difference translates into a public health gain. We also found a huge difference in the diagnostic yield between the three arms,” explained Hansen.

This self-sampling device is now distributed by the Norwegian Cancer Registry and available in all GP offices in Norway. But what about other home tests?

Who pays for equal access?

Karl-Arne Johannessen, representing Tigeni, a company that offers home testing for cholesterol, long-term blood sugar, vitamins, and minerals, argued there are not enough financing solutions in Norway for home tests:

“If you go to the laboratory to take a test, the public healthcare pays for it, but there should also be public payment for the home tests in the future. It should be paid by the public if a doctor has asked you to take the test.”

Hansen agreed with Johannessen: “One thing is to get the tests funded, so everyone has equal access to them – that is the number one priority. There are also differences in ‘health literacy’ that you need to be aware of so you can compensate for that.”

“As a doctor myself, I support equal access to healthcare services. My experience is that currently public payers or healthcare organisations are quite conservative and cervical cancer is a good example. If we have a problem to engage individuals in preventive services, then home-based testing creates a more efficient additional option,” added Peeter Padrik, CEO of Antegenes, an Estonian healthcare company that develops PRS tests.

Predicting breast cancer

A PRS test is another kind of self-sampling device making headway in cancer screening. They are based on a technology called Polygenic Risk Score, which can provide a measure of someone’s personal risk to develop a disease. The Estonian-Norwegian collaboration project AnteNOR has for the last three years explored how to use these tests to improve prevention and early detection of breast cancer in Norway.

Peeter Padrik, CEO of Antegenes. Photo: Margit Selsjord/Oslo Cancer Cluster.

“The problem we are addressing is breast cancer, the most common cancer among women in Norway, Europe and worldwide. If we detect breast cancer as early as possible, then the treatment is very efficient,” said Padrik.

The breast cancer screening programme in Norway is for women aged 50-69, but 17% of breast cancer cases are among women younger than 50. It would not be reasonable to screen all women, so the challenge is to identify the younger women at risk.

Identifying genetic risk

“The genetic susceptibility is a very strong associated factor to those who develop breast cancer,” said Eivind Hovig, Professor at the Department of Bioinformatics at the University of Oslo. Hovig has published a study looking at how a combination of genetic markers indicate Norwegian women’s personal risk of developing breast cancer.

Eivind Hovig, Professor at the Department of Bioinformatics at the University of Oslo. Photo: Margit Selsjord/Oslo Cancer Cluster.

“Polygenic risk score is becoming a complementary instrument for risk stratification for various cancers. We find indeed that we can identify that there are individuals that have high risk to develop breast cancer,” Hovig added.

The potential of PRS as a tool for risk-based mammography screening was also explored in a clinical pilot as part of the AnteNOR project. In total, 80 women aged 40-50 years took the PRS test to find out their personal risk of developing breast cancer.

Tone Hovda, senior radiologist at Vestre Viken. Photo: Margit Seljord/Oslo Cancer Cluster

“40 women were recommended to participate in BreastScreen Norway. 39 women were recommended to start mammography every second year before the age of 50. Among them, six were recommended to start annual mammography later on. One woman was recommended to start annual mammography from now on,” said Tone Hovda, senior radiologist at Vestre Viken and lead investigator for the clinical pilot.

Of European importance

Genetic tests are also a political priority on the EU level, as early detection and diagnosis are now possible for an increasing number of cancers with underlying heritable genetic risk.

There is now a call for “Accessible and affordable tests to advance early detection of heritable cancers in the European regions”. The budget includes 10-12 million euros per proposal and the submission deadline is 18 September. 2024

Sofia Anderholm Strand, Senior Adviser at the Research Council of Norway, presented the call: “They stress the need to validate easy-to-use, affordable and accessible genetic tests for early detection of cancer.”

 

A special thank you to all AnteNOR project partners for their contributions.

 

The AnteNOR project has been funded by: