LAMBERT LEONG , MS DOCTORAL CANDIDATE Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering
Lambert Leong , a molecular biosciences and bioengineering doctoral candidate , is investigating medical imaging biomarkers — distinguishing visual signals and patterns — of cancer using Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) methods .
One of the projects Lambert and his team are working on involves the Hawai ‘ i and Pacific Islands Mammography Registry ( HIPIMR ), which contains breast imaging and relevant risk information specific to Hawai ‘ i women . His work involves developing breast cancer AI models which are aimed at reducing the burden of cancer through an improved understanding of risk factors in women of diverse age and ethnic groups . Existing risk models have been developed using predominantly Caucasian populations and do not account for the unique ethnic populations of Hawai ‘ i and the Pacific , resulting in successful disparities .
These types of projects require hundreds of thousands to millions of images to be stored and processed .
Building AI also requires large amounts of computation to deal with both the complexity and the volume of image data . The UH Cancer Center houses state-of-the-art servers which enable Lambert and his team to efficiently build AI . “ An AI model built on these servers , which takes about a couple days , would take weeks or even months to build on a normal consumer-grade computer / laptop ,” said Lambert .
There were significant advancements for the HIPIMR in 2022 . A massive team effort resulted in the aggregation of data from community partners which included Hawaii Diagnostic Radiology Services and The Queen ’ s Medical Center , and an agreement to initiate transfers with Hawai ‘ i Pacific Health in 2023 . In addition , the HIPIMR successfully linked with the Hawai ‘ i Tumor Registry and implemented active data transfers , where new patient cases are received weekly . This effort has resulted in over one million images making the UH Cancer Center the ideal place to develop robust AI solutions to address disparities in Hawai ‘ i and the Pacific .
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