University of Minnesota researchers have co-developed a new technology that’s designed to help ovarian cancer physicians choose the right therapy for the right person — right away. 

This new artificial intelligence (AI) biomarker tool, developed with colleagues at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, aims to help physicians predict how individuals will respond to specific chemotherapies at the time of their diagnoses.

“It can reduce uncertainty early in the treatment planning process, avoid therapies that are unlikely to help and lessen both the emotional and financial burden on patients and the healthcare system,” says Martina Bazzaro, PhD, a scientist at the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota and associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School. 

The new AI tool analyzes morphological parameters — physical characteristics that set cancerous tumors apart from harmless tissue types — on standard pathology slides that doctors are already using to diagnose cancer. It does not require any additional procedures or incur additional costs. 

The Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance, Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund and American Cancer Society funded the research. 

“We are now moving toward a clinical trial to integrate this tool into clinical care,” Bazzaro says, “harnessing cutting-edge AI to guide treatment decisions and improve outcomes, while supporting more efficient and cost-effective healthcare delivery.”