Presently, most cancer diagnosis is done through thinly sliced physical biopsies. Though widespread, the amount of information this method collects remains limited. JelloX envisions a future in which AI-driven, volume-based 3D digital tumor analysis is primarily used, leading to more comprehensive and precise diagnoses and therefore treatments. The company recognizes that a key step towards this future is underway: the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) is currently conducting an open inquiry into multidimensional atlases of tumor complexities to evaluate the potential of these new approaches.

MetaLite^®, JelloX's cost-effective software platform, leverages AI to analyze 3D-rendered thick tissue images rapidly, saving pathologists hours while improving diagnostic precision. The software can easily be worked into existing pathology workflows: biopsy samples can be first rendered into 3D images with fluorescence labeling and clearance prior to reuse for conventional molecular pathology analyses if needed. Unlike physical biopsies, 3D imaging can visualize multiple tumor layers in high resolution and capture various parameters and biomarker features with a high sampling rate to produce a meticulous diagnosis. 3D imaging is to thin tissue biopsies what CT scans are to x-ray diagnostics in hospitals.

"Seeing is believing," says Dr. Margaret Chang, Chief Strategy Officer of JelloX, "and with our 3D imaging technology, pathologists can see all the complexities of a tumor's biomarkers — pinpointed in multidimensional renderings instead of in a thin physical sample viewed through a microscope."

Through its clinical research achievements, JelloX Biotech firmly believes that 3D imaging technology and AI have the potential to vastly improve cancer pathology. In a breakthrough this year published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, researchers from the company were able to use 3D imaging to clearly evaluate tumor and biomarker heterogeneity, such as programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) often present in non-small cell lung cancer. PD-L1 is a protein that plays a big role in managing the body's immune response against many types of cancers. This novel, next-generation pathology diagnostic method potentially enhances the accuracy of assessing tumor PD-L1 expression to make way for precise cancer immunotherapy deployment. In turn, this matches more patients to the right drugs, broadening the potential users and beneficiaries of this technology, and preempting a significant social, health, and economic impact while expanding opportunities for the pharmaceutical industry.

In another of its breakthroughs, presented in findings selected as the best paper presentation in the 2022 European Congress of Pathology, JelloX Biotech devised a sensitive method using antibodies capable of detecting low concentrations of HER2 — a protein that promotes cancer cell growth — in breast cancer via 3D imaging and AI modeling ^[1]. In separate studies, JelloX successfully leveraged the technology for research on oral and prostate cancer diagnoses including perineural invasion patterning and Gleason scoring.

In the coming year, JelloX Biotech will submit a Premarket Notification 510(k) to the FDA for MetaLite^®. The company is currently looking for potential partners, particularly to participate in the NCI request for information.

To explore research collaboration, please contact Dr. Yen-Yin Lin, CEO of JelloX Biotech Inc.