VisionGate Launches Clinical Study at Northwestern Medicine, Using the Breakthrough AI-powered Cell-CT for Detection of Early-Stage Lung Cancer in the Battle Against the World’s #1 Cancer Killer
VisionGate, the leading AI-powered cancer detection company, is excited to announce the initiation of clinical studies of its AI-powered, early detection technology to combat the world’s #1 cancer killer — lung cancer. The clinical studies will be independently directed by world-
renowned thoracic surgeon, Dr. Ankit Bharat, who is the Harold and Margaret Method Professor of Surgery and Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Northwestern Medicine and lead PI of an NIH-funded laboratory at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
VisionGate developed the world’s first and only AI-powered, true 3D cell imaging platform, known as Cell-CTTM, to address the unmet medical need for non-intrusive, early-stage lung cancer and pre-cancer detection. The strategic clinical partnership with Northwestern Medicine will accelerate the clinical impact of the proprietary Lung Cancer Early Detection (LuCED®) test that analyzes a simple at-home collected sputum sample. The ‘at-home’ collection helps to
overcome serious participation disparities among patients at risk of lung cancer. The sputum sample is mailed to the VisionGate Biosignature Laboratory for LuCED analysis on the Cell-CT to identify abnormal lung cells that indicate elevated risk of lung cancer. Individuals identified at risk for lung cancer are encouraged to enroll in low-dose CT (LDCT) screening, where patient participation has been surprisingly low. When patients get screened to discover their cancer early, the treatment options can yield the greatest life-saving benefit.
In VisionGate’s published clinical studies, the LuCED test achieved nearly 94 percent sensitivity in detecting stage 1 lung cancer, while minimizing false positive indications. This detection accuracy is unprecedented in the industry, especially when compared to intrusive blood tests that demonstrate poor detection of stage 1 lung cancer.
“The most recent data from the American Lung Association show that approximately 227,000 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year and about 125,000 will not survive” said Dr. Alan C. Nelson, Founder, Chairman and CEO of VisionGate. “In fact, lung cancer is the #1 cause of cancer deaths in women — more than breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers combined. And, lung cancer kills twice as many men as prostate cancer. Not only is lung cancer a major persistent world health problem, it’s a significant economic burden that will cost the world nearly $3.9 trillion over the next 30 years.”
Dr. Bharat states, “As a thoracic surgeon in active clinical practice, I am acutely aware that long-term survival for lung cancer patients is dramatically improved through the detection of early-stage disease and tumor resection. Accordingly, I was enthusiastic when Dr. Nelson from VisionGate contacted me to collaborate on the clinical evaluation of the LuCED test that has demonstrated high sensitivity to stage 1 lung cancer without the burden of false positive indications.” Dr. Bharat continued, “At our clinic we treat many patients with lung nodules detected with low-dose CT screening or incidental findings. Our initial clinical study with VisionGate will address the correlation of the non-intrusive sputum assay, called LuCED, with resected lung cancer, especially early-stage lung cancer.”
“VisionGate’s breakthrough Cell-CT technology has the potential to create a disruptive and unprecedented positive impact in the fight against lung cancer,” said Dr. Nelson. “The AI-powered Cell-CT performs analysis on lung cells in sputum to detect early-stage lung cancer without an invasive tissue biopsy or even an intrusive blood draw. We believe that our partnership with Dr. Bharat and Northwestern will help usher in a new era of lung cancer early detection and help overcome healthcare disparities. The strategic clinical partnership between VisionGate and Northwestern Medicine represents a bright ray of hope.” For more information about VisionGate, the AI-powered Cell-CT platform, and the LuCED test, please visit www.VisionGate3D.com
About Dr. Ankit Bharat
Dr. Ankit Bharat is the Harold & Margaret Method Professor and Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Northwestern Medicine and lead PI of an NIH-funded laboratory at Northwestern University Medicine Feinberg School of Medicine. His clinical interests include malignant and benign chest and esophageal diseases, and his research is focused on lung preservation, transplant immunology and airway biology, through collaboration with the Kovler Comprehensive Transplant Center and the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.
About Dr. Alan C. Nelson
Dr. Alan C. Nelson is widely recognized as a pioneer in AI-based cancer detection innovations. He is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of VisionGate, where his team developed the world’s first AI-powered, 3D cell analysis platform, Cell-CT, to address the unmet medical need for non-intrusive, early-stage lung cancer detection. Previously, Dr. Nelson was the Founder and CEO of NeoPath, where his team developed the world’s first and only fully-automated, AI-driven platform to detect cervical cancer, now marketed as FocalPoint by Becton Dickinson. He has held professorships in Nuclear Engineering, Physics, and Bioengineering at MIT, Harvard,
University of Washington, and ASU. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
