H&E-based MSI/MMR testing with AI in colorectal cancer: a multi-centred blinded evaluation

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Cher Bass - , Panakeia Technologies (Author)
  • Foivos Ntelemis - , Panakeia Technologies (Author)
  • Julian Schmidt - , Panakeia Technologies (Author)
  • Steffen Wolf - , Panakeia Technologies (Author)
  • André Geraldes - , Panakeia Technologies (Author)
  • Debapriya Mehrotra - , Panakeia Technologies (Author)
  • Shikha Singhal - , Panakeia Technologies (Author)
  • Narender Kumar - , Panakeia Technologies (Author)
  • Angelica Marcia - , Panakeia Technologies (Author)
  • Nicholas Bennett - , Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (Author)
  • Oscar Maiques - , Queen Mary University of London (Author)
  • Mitchell Hyde - , Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (Author)
  • Bejal Mistry - , Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (Author)
  • Grace Rogerson - , Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (Author)
  • Michele Cummings - , Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (Author)
  • Clare Freer - , Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (Author)
  • Elizabeth Walsh - , Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (Author)
  • Manuel Salto-Tellez - , Queen's University Belfast, Institute of Cancer Research (Author)
  • Maurice Loughrey - , Queen's University Belfast, Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast (Author)
  • In Hwa Um - , University of St Andrews (Author)
  • David J. Harrison - , University of St Andrews (Author)
  • Richard Clarkson - , Cardiff University (Author)
  • James Blackwood - , Panakeia Technologies, University of St Andrews (Author)
  • J. Carl Barrett - , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Author)
  • Jakob Nikolas Kather - , Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Digital Health, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg (Author)
  • Nicolas M. Orsi - , Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (Author)
  • Pahini Pandya - , Panakeia Technologies (Author)
  • Salim Arslan - , Panakeia Technologies (Author)

Abstract

Mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency occurs in 10–20% of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases, leading to microsatellite instability (MSI). Although MSI/MMR testing is critical for CRC management, high costs and long turnaround times limit testing rates and clinical utility, highlighting the need for more accessible, cost-effective alternatives. PANProfiler Colorectal (PPC) is an artificial intelligence (AI)-based biomarker test that determines MSI/MMR status directly from haematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained slides. We conducted a blinded, multi-centred validation to assess PPC’s performance against standard testing. The study included 3,576 whole slide images from 1,243 CRC patients across three United Kingdom institutions. PPC produced definitive results for 86.55% of slides, achieving an overall agreement of 93.83%, positive agreement of 92.54%, and negative agreement of 94.02%. PPC accurately determined MSI/MMR status from routine H&E slides, offering a rapid, scalable alternative to conventional diagnostic methods.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number44
Journal npj digital medicine
Volume9
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 15 Dec 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-3730-5348/work/211722518
PubMed 41398057