Southern California’s non-profit, regional healthcare system Hoag Hospital has forged a strategic alliance with precision oncology diagnosis firm Imagene to facilitate quick cancer diagnosis.

This partnership utilises Imagene's expertise in rapid AI-based molecular profiling.

Imagene’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology can profile cancer biomarkers in minutes, from a digitised biopsy image, offering immediate oncology intelligence to physicians.  

Hoag Family Cancer Institute Molecular Pathology Services chief and study principal investigator Dr David Braxton said: “Traditional molecular biomarker testing is expensive and can take weeks for patients to receive their results.

“Imagene's AI-based biomarker detection shows great promise for significantly reducing the waiting time for patients to begin targeted therapies.”

“I expect that this kind of technology can be deployed into every hospital in the US and lead to better and earlier cancer care for patients no matter where they live.”

The partnership is aimed at boosting health equity by helping more patients gain access to quick and ‘accurate’ molecular analysis for personalised cancer care.

Imagene co-founder and CEO Dean Bitan said: “We are excited to collaborate with Hoag, a leading community-based hospital that shares our vision of making molecular profiling accessible to all patients who need it.

“By working together, we aim to prove the value of rapid molecular testing that empowers medical teams to navigate the patient journey and make informed decisions related to the complex clinical junctions in cancer care.”

In addition to cancer, Hoag provides healthcare services in neurosciences, spine, women's health, digestive health, heart and vascular.