Challenge
The pace of biomedical advances, especially in cancer care, is rapidly progressing. For clinicians, keeping up with new knowledge and applying evidence-based choices for each patient is a (daily) challenge, particularly when it comes to complex cancers with no clear optimal therapy choice, such as like clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). There is still a major gap in translating highly technical data, from multi-omics to AI-generated insights, into clear, practical treatment guidance. There is an actual need for clinical decision-making tools that are not only sophisticated, but also trustworthy, transparent, practical, and patient-centered.
Ambition
The EU-funded KATY project set out to close this gap by developing an advanced, AI-powered personalized medicine system for cancer therapy. The KATY system was designed to provide clinicians and researchers with easy-to-understand, explainable AI-powered treatment recommendations at the point of care, thus bridging the gap between AI data and medical application.
Action
The KATY consortium built a precise, decision-support system that combines high-performing AI therapy recommendation service with a comprehensive knowledge graph. This platform connects and interprets massive sources of patient data, including clinical records and genomics, supporting clinicians treating kidney cancer patients to identify new molecular evidence and adjust therapy strategies. The KATY project consortium further:
- Piloted the system with data from ccRCC patients, refining its treatment recommendations and expanding the evidence base.
- Amassed strong evidence on the socioeconomic impact of its use through an assessment of its cost effectiveness and a survey in patient willingness to endorse it.
- Disseminated findings through publications, advocacy, and policy outreach to promote adoption and inform health policy.
The role of HPI
Along with its esteemed partners, the HPI:
- Led the cost-effectiveness analysis, to showcase the added value of the KATY-supported treatment selection process versus the current one.
- Executed, i.e., supported the conduct, analyzed, reported and led dissemination of findings on a first-in-kind survey to gauge patient willingness to endorse a solution with the KATY platform features as well as record any drivers and barriers for such preferences amongst renal cancer patients. Through this survey, the HPI introduced research to the ultimate beneficiaries, i.e. cancer patients, and gauged their feedback, in terms of barriers or concerns.
- Survey outcomes informed the development and launch of KATY and ensured optimal patient centricity. Through directly engaging patient associations / organizations in the survey, HPI and the KATY consortium further contributed to strengthening their advocacy capability and institutional representation capacity and promoted greater democracy in health through active shared decision making.
Impact
The KATY project has:
- Provided a new generation of user-friendly, explainable AI tools for challenging cancer care, starting with ccRCC and extending to other complex cases.
- Empowered clinicians to personalize therapy with more explainable, data-driven recommendations.
- Empowered patients by making medical information more accessible and facilitating collaborative approaches between patients and health professionals.
- Fostered understanding and trust in AI through the transparent design of the KATY system.
- Through policy outreach and advocacy, it informed policymakers on how the implementation of AI-driven personalized cancer care may support resource optimization and transform patient outcomes across Europe.
For more information, please visit the KATY project’s website: https://katy-project.eu/
