Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Lucence are developing a next generation decision support tool for liver cancer patients, which aims to reduce the risks associated with liver cancer surgery.
Singapore, 9 October 2019 – Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and Lucence are developing a next generation decision support tool for liver cancer patients, which aims to reduce the risks associated with liver cancer surgery. The tool, which TTSH and Lucence have been collaborating on since April this year, seeks to develop machine learning models based on radiology images of liver cancer patients for clinical decision support. Among major cancers in Singapore, liver cancer has the highest mortality rate when compared to the incidence rate1. Surgery is the primary therapeutic option for liver cancer.
This innovation is the first project to result from a Research Collaboration Agreement between TTSH and Lucence, a collaboration facilitated by the Centre for Healthcare Innovation and her partner NHG Centre for Medical Technologies and Innovations. The project, a visualisation tool called Liver3D™ for liver cancer surgery planning, combines TTSH’s disciplines in liver surgery and radiology with Lucence’s expertise in AI models and precision medicine. The tool creates a 3D image of the tumor relative to the rest of the liver with vascular and biliary structures that can be used to plan the plane of surgical resection. The Liver3D™ prototype will debut at the upcoming Singapore Health & Biomedical Congress from 10 – 11 October 2019, held at the Max Atria, Singapore Expo. Full completion of the project is expected in 2021.
Adjunct Associate Professor Tan Cher Heng, Senior Consultant, Diagnostic Radiology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, said: “Liver surgery carries significant risk of complications due to blood vessels and the bile ducts often sitting very close to liver cancer tumors. The proposed visualisation tool holds promise to enable surgeons to appreciate the patient’s anatomy better than from routine cross-sectional CT or MRI.”
Dr Tan Min-Han, CEO and founder of Lucence, said: “We are glad to work with Tan Tock Seng Hospital on developing software tools that will make a difference for liver cancer patients. By combining the genomic information from our liquid biopsy tests with information derived from Liver3DTM to better advise on surgical decision making, Lucence is delivering on the promise of personalised medicine to offer every cancer patient the best treatment options for their unique situation.”
An image of the Liver3D™ prototype that will debut at Singapore Health & Biomedical Congress 2019
1 Globocan 2018: http://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/
About TTSH
Tan Tock Seng Hospital is one of Singapore’s largest multi-disciplinary hospitals with 175 years of pioneering medical care and development. Today, with 1,700 beds and 9,000 staff, TTSH serves the 1.4 million population in Central Singapore, in partnership with patients, primary care and community partners. The hospital is a member of the National Healthcare Group and part of Singapore’s public healthcare system, hosting the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Institute for Geriatrics & Active Ageing, NHG Eye Institute, and the Centre for Healthcare Innovation. Recognised as AON Hewitt Best Employer (Singapore) in 2013 and 2015, and Hay’s Employer of Choice at the HRM Awards 2018, TTSH believes in Better People delivering Better Care and building a Better Community to achieve Better Health and Better Value for the population it serves.
About Centre for Healthcare Innovation
The Ng Teng Fong Centre for Healthcare Innovation (CHI) is a 9-storey conference, training and innovation building that aims to transform our healthcare workforce to be future-ready. It is Singapore’s largest purpose-built innovation centre with MICE facilities, simulation and innovation labs and engagement spaces.
With 37 CHI Co-Learning Network partners from local and international healthcare innovation centres, strategic agencies, academia partners and industry knowledge partners, this network has three strategic thrusts - build thought leadership; drive workforce transformation; and enable healthcare training.
The CHI Co-Learning Network is enabled by a financial lever, the Ng Teng Fong Healthcare Innovation Programme that funds and supports healthcare innovation in collaboration with its partners through 3 tracks - training, innovation and community enabling.
About Lucence Diagnostics
Lucence Diagnostics is a genomic medicine company founded to fulfil its vision of a world without avoidable cancer deaths. The company invents non-invasive blood tests that improve cancer detection and treatment selection. Lucence targets the most common cancers in Asia using its proprietary technology and AI platform. Lucence is headquartered in Singapore with offices in San Francisco and Hong Kong, and its services are delivered worldwide through an accredited central laboratory. For more information, please visit www.lucencedx.com.
Media Contact
Jasmine Chia Communications, Tan Tock Seng Hospital Contact: +65 6357 8038 / +65 9841 1634 Email: Jasmine_CY_CHIA@ttsh.com.sg
Yvonne Sim Communications, Lucence Diagnostics Contact: +65 6906 8543 Email: media@lucencedx.com
