#South Korea #Seoul #Cancer Research #Lunit #AI Pathology

Lunit Showcases Advanced AI Pathology Research at SITC 2026

At the 41st Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), Lunit, a frontrunner in AI-driven cancer diagnostics, revealed pioneering studies on ovarian and bladder cancers that emphasize the potential of its innovative pathology platform, Lunit SCOPE. Held from November 4 to 8 in Phoenix, Arizona, this event marks Lunit's sixth consecutive year of participation, highlighting its continuous commitment to advancing cancer research.

Lunit's presentation included two significant collaborative efforts with Labcorp and CellCarta. Both studies utilize AI for enhanced understanding of tumor microenvironments and treatment response, focusing particularly on homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) in ovarian cancer and immune response in bladder cancer.

The Ovarian Cancer Study

The first study, in collaboration with Labcorp, dissected the histological differences associated with HRD in ovarian carcinomas using AI pathology analysis. HRD serves as a crucial biomarker helping guide PARP inhibitor treatments, yet the ability to identify HRD-related biological differences through conventional histopathology remains largely unexplored.

In this study, researchers scrutinized 339 whole-slide images of ovarian carcinoma, categorizing them into HRD and HRP (homologous recombination proficient) cases. Utilizing Lunit SCOPE IO, they quantified 22 immune and morphological features, shedding light on immune cell densities, tumor characteristics, and tumor-stromal interactions. Notably, HRD tumors were found to exhibit approximately 1.5 times higher mitotic cell density compared to HRP tumors, alongside increased tumor cell presence in both cancerous and stromal regions.

Molecular profiling through Labcorp's OmniSeq INSIGHT assay revealed that HRD tumors possess a greater tumor mutational burden (TMB) than their HRP counterparts. These findings suggest a compelling correlation between immune phenotypes identified by Lunit SCOPE IO and genomic attributes, where inflamed tumors presented higher TMB than immune-excluded types.

Immune Features in Bladder Cancer

The second study, in association with CellCarta, examined the relationship between immune composition and response to neoadjuvant atezolizumab—an anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy—in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients.

Employing samples from the Phase II ABACUS trial, researchers leveraged multiplex immunohistochemistry combined with advanced spatial analysis to profile immune cell populations and interactions. Results indicated that responders to the therapy demonstrated superior immune cell diversity and infiltration compared to nonresponders, alongside significant colocalization of antigen-presenting cells and T cells. This analysis underlines the importance of spatial immune architecture in elucidating therapeutic responses, suggesting that factors beyond immune cell presence alone could provide predictive insights.

In summary, these studies underscore the vital role of AI in progressing the understanding of tumor biology and treatment implications. Brandon Suh, CEO of Lunit, affirmed the transformative nature of AI pathology, stating its capacity to reshape how researchers analyze tumor tissues and unravel intricate cancer biology layers. The collaboration with esteemed partners like Labcorp and CellCarta aims to deepen knowledge about the tumor microenvironment, bolstering innovation in precision oncology.

As Lunit continues to revolutionize cancer research, the insights gained at SITC 2026 might pave the path for more effective treatments in the future, showcasing the essential role of advanced technology in the pursuit of conquering cancer.