Oxford-led study integrates Paige AI for prostate cancer diagnosis in UK hospitals

In a collaborative project spearheaded by the University of Oxford, Paige, a company specialising in clinical AI applications for cancer diagnosis, has announced the live, multisite clinical use of its AI technology, Paige Prostate Suite, in three hospital systems across England. 

Paige uses AI to enhance cancer diagnosis and treatment. Their cloud-based platform aims to improve pathologists’ workflows, increase diagnostic confidence, and boost productivity globally. Paige was the first company to receive FDA approval for a clinical AI application in digital pathology. 

Their technology helps pharmaceutical companies evaluate treatment options and design new biomarkers for drug development, ensuring precise treatment options for patients.

The hospitals involved in this study are North Bristol Trust Southmead Hospital, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, and Oxford University NHS Foundation Trust. 

These hospitals are utilising different digital pathology scanners and information systems to serve varied patient populations, but all are incorporating Paige's AI technology into their standard care to explore its potential to improve patient outcomes for prostate cancer.

The Paige Prostate Suite is designed to assist pathologists in detecting, grading, and measuring tumours in prostate biopsies and tissue samples. Pathologists at these hospitals are examining how this AI tool affects their clinical decision-making, service delivery, and resource utilisation in practical settings. 

The study is part of the ARTICULATE PRO project, which is funded by the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care Award, which the Department of Health and Social Care manages.

Professor Clare Verrill, Cellular Pathology Consultant, Associate Professor, and Principal Investigator of ARTICULATE PRO, emphasised the patient-focused nature of the project:

 "The central focus of ARTICULATE PRO is patients. We are striving towards our goal to safely and effectively ensure they benefit the most from powerful AI technology," she said. "With the multisite live use of The Paige Prostate Suite, we can systematically study benefits to patients in clinical settings.”

Dr Jon Oxley, a uropathologist and Bristol lead of ARTICULATE PRO noted the significance of Paige’s AI applications:

“I have studied the disease and progression of prostate cancer in clinical research for over 25 years. It is a significant advancement that Paige’s AI applications have achieved a level of validation and performance that allows safe and effective live clinical use. Using Paige Prostate Suite alongside our standard of care has the promise to increase efficiency and improve reproducibility of results for patients.”

Dr. Bidisa Sinha, a uropathologist at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, expressed optimism about AI’s role in cancer diagnosis:

“We believe AI can help to improve the accuracy and consistency of grading cancer and assist in detection of small areas of cancer which are easy to miss. This is world-leading research being carried out at UHCW. We are proud to be a global leader in the field of digital and computational pathology.”