By Diagnostics World Team
January 22, 2025 | Researchers at the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, in collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), have unveiled SCORPIO, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool designed to predict cancer patients’ responses to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. By focusing on diagnostic capabilities, SCORPIO uses routine blood tests and clinical data to identify patterns that correlate with treatment outcomes, offering an innovative approach to guiding immunotherapy decisions.
SCORPIO is unique in that it leverages accessible and low-cost diagnostic methods already embedded in clinical workflows. “Our goal was to create a tool that could be universally adopted without requiring expensive or complex testing, such as genomic profiling,” said Diego Chowell, Ph.D., study lead and assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Diagnostic Superiority Over Traditional Biomarkers
Unlike traditional FDA-approved biomarkers like tumor mutational burden (TMB) and PD-L1 immunostaining, SCORPIO provides a more practical and scalable alternative. While PD-L1 testing faces challenges such as variability in platforms, antibodies, and quality standards, and TMB relies on resource-intensive genomic sequencing, SCORPIO analyzes readily available data from routine diagnostics. According to findings published in Nature (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03398-5), SCORPIO consistently outperformed these biomarkers in predicting overall survival and treatment efficacy.
SCORPIO’s diagnostic utility is particularly striking in real-world patient cohorts. “We were surprised by SCORPIO’s ability to adapt to diverse healthcare environments and patient populations,” Chowell noted. By detecting immune-inflamed phenotypes through blood test features, the tool offers insights that extend beyond traditional genomic or histological methods, adding a new dimension to cancer diagnostics.
While SCORPIO demonstrated strong performance across various cancer types, its predictive accuracy varied between specific cancer cohorts. This underscores the ongoing challenge of creating universal diagnostic tools for immunotherapy. Nonetheless, SCORPIO’s cost-effective design holds promise for improving diagnostic precision and reducing disparities in cancer care.
For physicians, SCORPIO integrates seamlessly into routine workflows, offering a reliable diagnostic tool to support ICI therapy decisions. By reducing unnecessary treatments, minimizing toxicities, and optimizing resource allocation, SCORPIO stands to enhance the efficiency of oncology practices. For patients, the tool enables more personalized care, reducing the risk of ineffective treatments and improving outcomes and quality of life.
Chowell and his team are committed to expanding SCORPIO’s diagnostic reach. “Our vision is to make SCORPIO a cornerstone of equitable precision oncology,” he said. The team is actively collaborating with hospitals and cancer centers worldwide to validate the tool in diverse clinical environments, paving the way for widespread adoption.