NAIPO Flagship, FHNW School of Life Sciences

The National AI Initiative for Precision Oncology (NAIPO) aims to transform cancer care in Switzerland with help of artificial intelligence. Bringing together a large transdisciplinary team of leading Swiss institutions from academia, healthcare and industry, the project will develop a secure, federated infrastructure that ensures the protection of sensitive patient data while enabling AI-driven research and discoveries.

By integrating advanced AI models into every stage of the patient journey – from diagnosis to treatment – NAIPO enables more personalised, equitable and effective care. The initiative explores cutting-edge technologies, including AI foundation models, AI agents and privacy-preserving algorithms, and applies them in real-world clinical settings. With strong engagement from hospitals and industry, NAIPO will accelerate innovation, improve patient outcomes and help establish Switzerland as a global leader in medical AI.

Experts at the FHNW - spanning two schools and three institutes - are responsible for sub-project 6, Smartphone app development. The app will translate medical reports into plain language, provide updates on the course of treatment, and offer patients support with side effects, appointments and other aspects of care.

FHNW researchers will also contribute to sub-project 5, AI@Tumorboards, designed to help improve collaboration in interdisciplinary teams of physicians who jointly decide on treatment strategies. Finally, the FHNW will help roll out the solutions developed to cantonal hospitals in Aarau, Baden, Luzern, and Winterthur as part of sub-project 7.

“Building on lessons from previous efforts in precision oncology in Switzerland, our initiative targets the development of novel, clinically informed AI tools by seamlessly integrating a common data platform, continuously adapting robust models, and designing effective clinical interfaces and patient apps,” says Dorina Thanou, lead of the initiative at the EPFL AI Center.