Work in clinical trial matching and immunotherapy selection could help improve treatment pathways for patients from the Middle East

DUBAI, RIYADH, DOHA, 14 July 2026. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is bringing artificial intelligence into two important areas of cancer care, with new work focused on clinical trial matching and predicting immunotherapy response using routine blood tests. For patients from the Middle East who travel abroad for specialist cancer treatment, they point to more informed treatment decisions and a clearer path to personalized and precision medicine.

MSK is working with oncology focused generative AI companies to introduce a platform that helps clinical teams review patient records and identify suitable clinical trials more quickly. The system analyses medical information, including clinician notes and documents, and matches patients to relevant trials with a clear explanation of why they may be eligible.

The aim is to improve the identification of appropriate trial opportunities that might otherwise be missed, while also reducing the time involved in screening patients across a large and complex trial portfolio.

MSK is also advancing research into how AI can help predict which patients are most likely to benefit from immunotherapy. A recent research effort led by MSK and other top hospitals [RW1] resulted in the development of a model known as SCORPIO, which uses routine blood tests and standard clinical data to help guide treatment decisions. Because the model relies on information already widely available in hospitals and clinics, it could offer a simpler and more accessible way to support treatment selection, particularly in settings where more complex genomic testing is less readily available.

Dr Luc Morris, surgeon and research lab director at MSK, said: “Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a very powerful tool against cancer, but they do not yet work for most patients. We wanted to develop a model that can help guide treatment decisions using widely available data, such as routine blood tests.”

The model was developed and validated using data from nearly 10,000 patients across 21 cancer types, making it one of the largest studies of its kind in cancer immunotherapy.

Together, these initiatives show how AI is beginning to support everyday cancer care in practical ways. MSK is reinforcing the value of continued research, collaboration, and knowledge sharing to help ensure advances in cancer care can support better decision making and improve access to appropriate treatment for patients wherever they are.

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About Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK)

The people of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) are united by a singular mission: ending cancer for life. Our specialized care teams provide personalized, compassionate expert care to patients of all ages. Informed by basic research done at our Sloan Kettering Institute, scientists across MSK collaborate to conduct innovative translational and clinical research that is driving a revolution in our understanding of cancer as a disease and improving the ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat it. MSK is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists and clinicians, who go on to pursue our mission at MSK and around the globe. One of the world’s most respected comprehensive centers devoted exclusively to cancer, we have been recognized as one of the top two cancer hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report for more than 30 years and ranked as the best hospital in the world for oncology according to Newsweek’s World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2026 list. http://www.mskcc.org.     

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 [RW1]Same idea, not sure if we need to include – maybe something about other top hospitals