Switzerland Launches National AI Initiative for Personalised Cancer Treatment

The FHNW School of Life Sciences is part of Switzerland’s new national initiative to integrate AI into cancer treatment. Under Innosuisse’s flagship funding programme, the National AI Initiative for Precision Oncology (NAIPO) will support strategically important projects to create a secure, nationwide infrastructure for AI-enabled precision oncology while protecting sensitive patient data.

Cancer remains one of the greatest challenges facing the Swiss healthcare system, according to the Global Cancer Observatory. In 2022, nearly 58,000 new cases and around 20,000 deaths were recorded. Despite Switzerland’s high standard of medical care, tailoring treatment to individual patients remains difficult – partly due to fragmented data systems and limited institutional collaboration. At the same time, treatment costs continue to rise. To ensure all patients receive the best possible care promptly, regardless of where they live or are treated, closer integration is essential.

NAIPO Aims
NAIPO is developing a digital platform that uses AI to support doctors in diagnosis and treatment decisions. It aims to improve personalised cancer care, reduce disparities in access, and accelerate the discovery of new biomarkers and therapies. At its core is a federated learning system – technology that enables the use of data from multiple hospitals without centralised storage, thereby safeguarding data privacy.

Smartphone App for Patients and Families
One example is the planned development of a smartphone app for patients and their families. The app will translate medical reports into plain language, provide updates on the course of treatment, and offer support with side effects, appointments and other aspects of care. “Digital tools will also improve collaboration in so-called tumour boards – interdisciplinary teams of physicians who jointly decide on treatment strategies” adds Prof. Dr. Abdullah Kahraman, Head of the Data Science Group at the FHNW School of Life Sciences, and one of the coordinators of the prestigious NAIPO initiative.

NAIPO will be implemented over four years, bringing together a transdisciplinary team from leading Swiss institutions – the largest project of its kind in the country. It is led by the EPFL AI Center in collaboration with the ETH AI Center, the Swiss Data Science Center (SDSC), the FHNW School of Life Sciences and FHNW School of Computer Science, Bern University of Applied Sciences, the university hospitals of Basel, Bern, Geneva and Zurich, regional and private clinics, Roche, SOPHIA GENETICS, Switch and Tune Insight.