Controversy at MSK Cancer Center Regarding the Pathology Archive and Database

A controversy has erupted at prestigious cancer centerMemorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) about the granting of exclusive access to its surgical pathology slide archive and database to a startup company, Paige.AI. It was been revealed in a recent NYT article that the hospital holds an equity stake in the company. There is also participation in the startup by some hospital insiders (see:Sloan Kettering ’s Cozy Deal With Start-Up Ignites a New Uproar). Below is an excerpt from the article: An artificial intelligence start-up founded by three insiders at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center debuted with great fanfare in February, with $25 million in venture capital and the promise that it might one day transform how cancer is diagnosed. The company, Paige.AI, is one in a burgeoning field of start-ups that are applying artificial intelligence to health care, yet it has an advantage over many competitors: The company has an exclusive deal to use the cancer center ’s vast archive of 25 million patient tissue slides, along with decades of work by its world-renowned pathologists. Memorial Sloan Kettering holds an equity stake in Paige.AI, as does a member of the cancer center ’s executive board, the chairman of its pathology department and the head of one of its research laboratories. Three other board members are investors....Doctors [at MSK} said they were concerned about a lack of communication from hospital leadership, and one said patients were nervous that ...
Source: Lab Soft News - Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Digital Imaging in Pathology Healthcare Information Technology Healthcare Innovations Medical Ethics Medical Research Pathology Informatics Surgical Pathology Source Type: blogs