Allina Health Cancer Institute launches AI clinical trial for cancer detection

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A clinical trial underway at the Allina Health Cancer Institute is using artificial intelligence to diagnose cancer.

The cancer institute announced the trial on Monday, which is a collaboration with St. Paul biotech company Astrin Biosciences. FOX 9 learned about how Astrin was using technology to diagnose cancer back in March of this year. 

In a news release, Allina explained how the process works: "Scientists use blood collected from a simple blood draw and run it through a machine. Using AI technology, they are able to create a 3D holographic image of the cells, identify the cancer cells and separate them from the healthy ones. The isolated cancer cells are characterized to better understand their nature and to guide treatment."

Patients looking to participate in the trial can click here to send a message or call 612-863-8716.