[ESMO 2024] Lunit "Growing Global Interest in Medical AI... Will Continue Collaboration with Big Pharma"

"The field of digital pathology is growing, including improvements such as establishing a separate society for medical artificial intelligence (AI) at the global cancer conference. We are continuing collaborations with numerous big pharma companies and expect to maintain these achievements."

On the 15th (local time), Michael Hulzik, Head of Global Business Development at Lunit, is interviewed by reporters at the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) held in Barcelona, Spain.
[Photo by Lee Chunhee]

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Michael Hulzick, Head of Global Business Development at Lunit, said this during an interview on the 15th (local time) at the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) held in Barcelona, Spain. He added, "Since many clinical trial results for drugs under development are being disclosed and many related pharmaceutical companies are participating, we joined ESMO to discuss collaboration with other new drug development companies. We also presented research suggesting that Lunit's technology can provide important indicators for patients' anticancer drug selection."

The research results Lunit presented at this ESMO used the AI biomarker Lunit Scope IO to predict how effective immuno-oncology combination therapy would be for patients with advanced gastric cancer. Advanced cancer refers to a condition where the cancer has grown significantly, making it difficult to remove cancer cells surgically or has metastasized to other areas. Recently, combination therapy using immuno-oncology agents and chemotherapy has been gaining attention as the first-line treatment for such advanced gastric cancer patients. However, due to significant variability in treatment efficacy among patients, there is an increasing need for methods that can accurately predict treatment outcomes.

A poster presentation of research results predicting the therapeutic effects of immuno-oncology drugs using Lunit Scope IO at the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) held in Barcelona, Spain.
[Photo by Chunhee Lee]

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This study involved 585 patients with advanced gastric cancer: 275 patients received a combination of the immuno-oncology drug Opdivo and chemotherapy, while 310 patients received chemotherapy alone. The research team analyzed their tissue data using Lunit Scope IO, identified patients' immune phenotypes, and analyzed the correlation with immuno-oncology treatment responses.

As a result, the combination therapy group showed an improved median progression-free survival (mPFS) of 8.2 months, compared to 5.9 months in the monotherapy group, which is one of the key indicators for evaluating anticancer drug efficacy. Notably, in the 'immune-activated patient group' classified by Lunit Scope IO, the mPFS was 11 months, approximately twice as long as that of the monotherapy patients, highlighting the pronounced effect of combination therapy. Conversely, patients without immune activation showed no significant improvement, with an mPFS of 7.3 months even with combination therapy.

Hulzick explained, "This study demonstrated that more precise treatment directions can be provided for gastric cancer patients. Moving forward, we will continue efforts to ensure that Lunit Scope can serve as an important indicator in selecting appropriate immuno-oncology-based therapies."

He added, "At this ESMO, besides presenting research results, we have scheduled meetings with various partners with whom we are discussing collaborations. Regarding global big pharma, we are already cooperating with seven major companies and expect to continue global achievements in the second half of this year." Regarding Lunit submitting only one paper at this ESMO, unlike submitting multiple papers at major cancer conferences, he explained, "This is because medical and clinical research applying AI has been intensively conducted only in recent years. Many studies are still ongoing, and it is a temporary phenomenon as it is not yet the stage to announce results."

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) plans to hold the first conference focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies related to oncology among major global cancer societies next November in Berlin, Germany. The promotional image for the conference was revealed at the 2024 ESMO event held in Barcelona, Spain.
[Photo by Lee Chunhee]

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He also expressed high expectations for the 'AI and Digital Oncology' conference scheduled to be held in Berlin next November at ESMO. Among the world's three major cancer societies?the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and ESMO?this is the first time that a separate society related to AI technology has been established at ESMO.

Hulzick emphasized, "I will definitely attend," noting that interest in medical AI is gradually increasing. He said, "ESMO 2022 was my first conference after joining Lunit. At that time, everyone was interested in AI, but it felt like it was not yet at the stage to be used fully in treatment. Now, the situation is completely different. As opportunities for collaboration among industry, academia, and research have expanded through conferences, the establishment of this new society will play a positive role for the industry, including Lunit."

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