AI-Powered Precision Oncology: NAIPO Launches in Switzerland
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A new national initiative, NAIPO (National AI Initiative for Precision Oncology), is set to transform cancer care in Switzerland by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enable truly personalized treatments.
Led by the EPFL AI Center and ETH AI Center, NAIPO will run over four years and bring together a large, interdisciplinary team from Swiss institutions including the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), and Swiss Health Valley companies, such as Debiopharm, Tune Insight or Hedera Dx.
According to the Global Cancer Observatory, cancer remains one of Switzerland’s most urgent public health challenges, with nearly 58,000 new cases and around 20,000 deaths recorded in 2022. Achieving truly personalized care has been hampered by fragmented data and lack of integration across institutions. NAIPO seeks to address this by creating an integrated AI-powered precision oncology platform to optimize diagnosis, personalize treatments, and support clinical decision-making.
“Our approach focuses on innovative, clinically relevant AI tools built on a common data platform. By continuously adapting robust models and designing well-integrated clinical interfaces, we aim to improve patient care and outcomes,” explains Dorina Thanou, Head of the initiative at the EPFL AI Center.
“The combination of these technologies will allow us to capture and model the unique characteristics of each patient,” adds Elisa Oricchio, Director of ISREC at EPFL. “This programme redefines the role of AI in medicine and positions Switzerland as a leader in AI-assisted medical innovation.”
Charlotte Bunne, Professor at EPFL and leader for model development, notes: “Tailoring predictions and recommendations to each individual patient is one of the most exciting aspects of NAIPO. Our models will continuously learn from validated biomedical literature and selected clinical data to identify new targets, biomarkers, and molecules in development.”
“We are creating a federated and secure system that enables collaboration between institutions without compromising confidentiality,” explains Nora Toussaint, Head of the initiative at the Swiss Data Science Center (SDSC). “Trust and transparency are at the core of our technical design.”
Pilot projects will be conducted across cantonal and university hospitals, as well as private clinics, with the goal of nationwide deployment within four years. Beyond oncology, the infrastructure could become a model for other therapeutic areas.
“This initiative marks a transition to a proactive model of precision oncology,” says Olivier Michielin, Head of Precision Oncology at HUG and Professor at UNIGE. “It ensures that every patient, no matter where they are treated, benefits from the latest advances in AI-driven medicine.”
“NAIPO is exactly what clinical oncology needs today. We can generate far more data than before, but integrating it effectively into patient care has been a challenge. NAIPO bridges that gap,” concludes Andreas Wicki, Professor of Oncology at the University of Zurich and co-clinical coordinator of the project.
By combining cutting-edge AI technologies with a secure data-sharing model, NAIPO represents a major step forward in the fight against cancer. It aims to accelerate biomarker discovery, improve treatment strategies, and foster sustainable innovation within Switzerland’s healthcare system.
➡️ Source: UNIGE | 📸 Canva Media Library