Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center and artificial intelligence-driven health tech company Sophia Genetics signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to partner on a precision oncology venture.
The goal of the partnership is to build a precision medicine hub for cancer patients around the globe using MSK’s clinical data and Sophia Genetics’ AI platform, the organizations said in the June 6 announcement.
Sophia Genetics’ precision medicine platform has been used to analyze more than 2.5 million cases since 2014, the company says. And, MSK’s in-house next generation sequencing platform has sequenced more than 150,000 tumor samples since 2014.
“This collaboration represents the future of applied precision oncology – where clinical expertise meets cutting-edge AI and robotics with the potential to transform cancer care at scale,” said Michael Frank, MSK director of digital health business development, in a statement. “By combining MSK's deep clinical assets with Sophia Genertic's powerful digital platform, we're seeking to create a new paradigm to deliver personalized insights to patients.”
The details surrounding the strategic initiative have not been finalized, but the organizations say it is envisioned that Sophia would serve as the AI and analytics platform for the hub. MSK would provide clinical and scientific leadership alongside its clinical data.
The two organizations have previously partnered on diagnostic innovations.
Sophia Genetics’ President Ross Muken said in a statement the company’s work with MSK has been focused on “extending the reach of MSK’s clinical intelligence,” calling the upcoming partnership the “most ambitious expression of that mission yet.”
“Over the past several years, we’ve built SOPHiA DDM into a foundational AI and analytics layer for precision medicine, helping institutions across the world unlock the value of their clinical data,” Muken said. “By combining MSK's clinical leadership and deep clinical data with Sophia Genetic's AI platform and global infrastructure, the precision medicine hub that we are discussing will help move precision oncology into the multimodal era and bring the benefits of MSK’s precision oncology to patients regardless of where they're treated.”