10 TECHNOLOGY The HEALTH | May-June. 2025
AI meets radiology
• AI-powered service designed to accelerate cancer detection and treatment using medical imaging in the UK ' s National Health Service( NHS)
• The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is ranked among the world ' s top cancer research centres
• Marks a milestone in the application of artificial intelligence for cancer research and clinical innovation
HEALING HUB: The Royal Marsden Sutton ' s state-of-the-art facility dedicated to pioneering cancer care and research
THE Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, a world-leading specialist cancer centre, has announced a pioneering partnership with NTT DATA, a global leader in digital business and technology services, and CARPL. ai, a leading enterprise imaging artificial intelligence( AI) and machine learning operations( MLOps) platform.
Together, they have designed and built an advanced AI-powered radiology analysis service for the development and evaluation of AI in medical imaging, designed to transform cancer research and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes.
AI ' s potential to enhance the speed and accuracy of identifying imaging biomarkers has been recognised for some time.
Funded by a three-year grant from the UK ' s National Institute for Health and Care Research( NIHR), the service will be used for research at The Royal Marsden and the Institute of Cancer Research( ICR), including projects in collaboration with other research teams.
This research initiative will focus on developing and evaluating AI algorithms to improve the accuracy of cancer evaluation, including sarcoma, lung, breast, brain and prostate cancers.
This will lead to faster response times, more accurate diagnoses and bettertargeted treatments.
CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY
The service runs on a MLOps clinical imaging platform built and operated by NTT DATA. To enable this, NTT DATA developed a bespoke AI computing solution that leverages high-performance Dell servers and utilises the latest GPU processing capacity orchestrated by the CARPL. ai platform.
This platform helps test and manage AI algorithms, featuring an extensive collection of radiology AI models.
NTT DATA is also providing specialist imaging AI consulting services, helping researchers at The Royal Marsden test and evaluate emerging AI tools in real clini- cal settings while extracting maximum insight and value from both in-house and commercial algorithms.
The Royal Marsden ' s Functional Imaging Consultant Radiologist and Functional Cancer Imaging Professor Dow-Mu Koh said: " AI has immense potential to support clinicians in diagnosing and treating cancer earlier and more precisely.
" By working with NTT DATA and CARPL. ai, we ' ve created a scalable research environment that allows us to explore the full potential of AI safely and in a way that could one day transform cancer diagnosis and treatment across the NHS."
ADVANCING HEALTH SYSTEMS
UK Minister of State for Health Karin Smyth said their 10-Year Health Plan would modernise the NHS, replacing outdated systems with cutting-edge digital solutions.
" While this trial is in its early stages, it represents exactly the kind of collaboration between the NHS, industry and academia that will help build a health service fit for the future," said Smyth.
" Early detection saves lives, and innovations like AI will transform how cancer is diagnosed and treated – helping patients receive faster and more effective care."
NIHR Scientific Director for Innovation Professor Mike Lewis said cancer was one of the biggest killers in the UK and that this had to change. The three-year grant would help researchers push the boundaries of AI-driven technology for cancer detection and diagnosis.
" This AI-powered service represents the cutting edge of cancer research, and it is going to transform treatment, better support NHS staff and ultimately change patients ' lives. It is another great example of how NIHR-funded and supported research will ensure the best care is there when patients need it."
NTT DATA UK & Ireland Chief Technology Officer Tom Winstanley commented the service was a great example of responsible innovation in practice.
" It shows the ethical, secure use of AI in healthcare. We are very proud to support The Royal Marsden in pushing the boundaries of cancer research," said Winstanley.
EMPOWERING RESEARCH TEAM
Once the service is live, research teams at The Royal Marsden will be able to evaluate a range of AI models across several cancer types. These studies will generate critical insights into how AI can support clinical decision-making and shape future approaches to diagnosis and treatment.
Through CARPL. ai ' s centralised interface and built-in monitoring tools, the research teams will also be able to track model performance over time, enabling faster feedback loops between development and deployment – a crucial step towards clinical translation.
NTT DATA will continue to work closely with The Royal Marsden to support this next phase of research, which will ultimately improve cancer care and patient outcomes.- The HEALTH
AI POWERHOUSE: The CARPL platform revolutionises medical imaging through cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning