Congratulations! On May 9, 2025, a research team around our principle investigator Prof. Jakob N. Kather was honored with the Felix Burda Award for their AI project on colorectal cancer prognosis. The scienctists have developed a deep learning model that evaluates tissue samples and creates individual risk profiles, which support in better predicting the progression of colorectal cancer in patients. The award was accepted by:

• Dr. med. Jakob Nikolas Kather (Else Kröner Fresenius Center (EKFZ) for Digital Health, TUD Dresden University of Technology and Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital Dresden; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Dresden/Heidelberg)
• Xiaofeng Jiang (Else Kröner Fresenius Center (EKFZ) for Digital Health, TUD Dresden University of Technology and Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital Dresden; Clinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen)
• Dr. med. Daniel Truhn (Clinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen)
• PD Dr. med Sebastian Försch (Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Mainz)

The deep learning model automatically analyzes tissue samples. It classifies patients into risk groups and predicts their chances of survival more accurately than previous methods. The technology is freely available and not tied to a specific location. The open source code allows scientists from all over the world to access it, build on it and advance colorectal cancer research. The goal is to enable more personalized and effective therapies in the future.

Read more on the website of the EKFZ for Digital Health.

Learn more about our research in the topic area Life Science and Medicine.