Leidos is committing $10 million to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence for detecting and managing diseases, in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh's Computational Pathology and AI Center of Excellence (CPACE).
The initial focus of the five-year collaboration will be developing AI-powered tools for quicker detection of diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, reducing diagnostic turnaround times, and enabling earlier, more effective care management.
"Our investment is aimed at using the transformative power of artificial intelligence to speed detection, diagnosis and treatment of diseases that affect millions of people annually," said Leidos CEO Tom Bell. "These efforts will also focus on developing future health care specialists, and expanding the care that's available to underserved communities, including our veterans."
For more than 25 years, Leidos has operated the National Cancer Institute's Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, supporting progress in the fight against cancer. The company also brings more than two decades of experience applying AI to important areas like health care, national security, and energy, and helps improve care for military families and veterans by strengthening delivery, access, and continuity of care.
Key objectives of the Leidos-University of Pittsburgh collaboration include:
- Establishing a world-class research hub: University of Pittsburgh will enhance CPACE by continuing development of its state-of-the-art Digital Pathology Research Center. These facilities will drive pioneering research in digital pathology and AI-driven diagnostics.
- Developing digital health care solutions: Advancing AI-powered technologies will cement the University of Pittsburgh's leadership in digital pathology and enable Leidos to develop innovative solutions designed to support digital health and diagnostics.
- Accelerating global impact: Leidos plans to leverage the collaboration to deploy AI-powered digital pathology solutions across public and private health care sectors with the goal of leading the commercialisation of innovative health care technologies.
"The University of Pittsburgh's leadership in research and innovation, coupled with the expertise in technology solutions offered by Leidos, establishes a path forward to delivering advancements in diagnosis, disease management and health care delivery," said Anantha Shekhar, Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Through this multi-year collaboration, Leidos and the University of Pittsburgh will drive advances in several critical areas:
- Research and technology development: Joint research projects will explore new imaging methods, advanced scanning technologies to analyse tissue samples, and improved techniques for analysing medical images with precision.
- Workforce development and education: The initiative will cultivate the next generation of health care and AI innovators through comprehensive educational programmes, including industry-focused best practices, annual symposiums, and hands-on internship opportunities where students will collaborate directly with Leidos experts.
"We want these tools to impact as many people as possible globally. Leidos can help get them into many more hands, ensuring that they are validated properly and get through the right regulatory frameworks," said Hooman Rashidi, Executive Director of CPACE and Associate Dean of AI in Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.