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Revolution in cancer treatment: AI analyzes risks of metastasis!
The TU Dresden leads the research project DECIPHER-M for the AI-supported analysis of cancer metastases, funded by the BMBF.
Revolution in cancer treatment: AI analyzes risks of metastasis!
A new research project at the Technical University of Dresden, known as DECIPHER-M, aims to decipher the mechanisms of cancer metastasis using artificial intelligence (AI). The project is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the “National Decade Against Cancer” initiative and has received provisional funding of around 5.5 million euros for an initial period of three years. The funding is an important step to significantly improve treatment options for cancer patients.
The project, which starts on March 1, 2025, is led by Prof. Dr. med. Jakob N. Kather, who works at the Else Kröner Fresenius Center (EKFZ) for Digital Health. The development and spread of metastases is intensively investigated by an interdisciplinary team from medicine, computer science and biotechnology. The aim is to use a multimodal approach to make precise predictions about the individual risk of metastasis and to develop personalized treatment strategies.
Artificial intelligence as a key technology
The application of modern AI technologies makes it possible to identify complex patterns in routine clinical data. Various medical data sources such as tissue samples, X-rays and MRI images as well as genetic information are combined. This data analysis is intended to help assess the risk of metastasis at an early stage and derive targeted therapeutic measures, which will benefit the treatment of cancer patients.
Cancer represents an enormous challenge for modern medicine, which is why core topics in cancer research were identified as part of the National Decade Against Cancer. The BMBF focused on these topics in a “Grand Challenge” and thereby laid the foundation for the DECIPHER-M consortium, which is dedicated to answering crucial questions about cancer metastasis. The aim of the initiative is to optimize the prediction of tumor spread to other organs and to investigate the effectiveness of treatments.
Interdisciplinary collaboration
In addition to the Technical University of Dresden, project partners from various cities such as Aachen, Essen, Heidelberg, Mainz and Munich are involved in the DECIPHER-M project. This interdisciplinary collaboration brings together experts from different disciplines to develop innovative solutions to improve the screening and treatment of patients at high risk of metastasis. As part of these efforts, methodological foundations should be created in order to better support individual patients.
In addition, if the interim evaluation is successful, additional financing of around 520,000 euros could be approved for two years. For the first funding period, the EKFZ will receive around 700,000 euros, which is intended to make a significant contribution to digital healthcare and medical research.
The use of AI in cancer research is not just limited to the DECIPHER-M project. AI is increasingly being used in clinical trials in general to improve efficiency and accuracy. AI-powered approaches can help accelerate patient recruitment and increase the quality of data collected. This suggests a promising future for the use of these technologies in oncology, both to optimize treatment methods and to accelerate drug development, such as arvato-systems.de describes.
Overall, the DECIPHER-M project represents significant progress in cancer research, promoted through the use of innovative technologies and close collaboration between different disciplines. The targeted approach could help to sustainably improve the treatment of cancer patients in the long term.