Clinical partner for cancer prevention and early detection: prostate MRI, urinary biomarkers, validation site for AI / Virtual Human Twin projects

Target topic: HORIZON-HLTH-2027-03-TOOL-04 (Virtual Human Twins for integrated clinical decision support in prevention and diagnosis); also open to other Cluster Health and Cancer Mission 2027 consortia on prevention and early detection.

Who we are
Department of Radiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) / Hospital of LSMU Kauno klinikos – the largest university hospital in the Baltic States (Kaunas, Lithuania).

What we offer

• Clinical expertise in prostate cancer early detection: multiparametric MRI (PI-RADS v2.1, structured reporting), genetic urinary biomarkers (PCA3, TMPRSS2:ERG) and risk calculators.

• An ongoing prospective, single-centre cohort of biopsy-naïve men (recruiting since 2022; ~300 participants enrolled to date) with paired mpMRI, urinary biomarkers, clinical data and histopathology. In the first 208 men analysed (completed PhD study), combining mpMRI and urinary biomarkers maintained 99% sensitivity for clinically significant prostate cancer while avoiding ~25% of unnecessary biopsies.

• Clinical validation of diagnostic and decision-support models in a real-world hospital setting: prospective patient recruitment, imaging acquisition and expert MRI reading.

• Diagnostic accuracy and biopsy-avoidance outcome evaluation, input to health-economic / cost-effectiveness analysis, statistical analysis in R.

• Insight into a national PSA-based prostate cancer early detection programme (Lithuania) under reconsideration – a use case for risk-based, personalised screening pathways.

Areas of interest beyond prostate cancer
We are also interested in joining projects on other prevention and screening programmes – especially imaging-based cancer screening, risk-stratified and personalised screening, reducing overdiagnosis, and evaluating the effectiveness, uptake and cost of population-based prevention programmes.

Possible role in the project
Clinical partner leading a prostate cancer (or other screening) use case for personalised risk models integrating imaging, molecular and clinical data; clinical validation site; contributor to work packages on clinical pathways, prevention programme evaluation and end-user evaluation.

What we are looking for
Coordinators and consortia building VHT, AI-based clinical decision-support or prevention/screening projects, especially partners with modelling or AI expertise (radiomics, biophysical or multimodal models), data platforms, public health expertise and SMEs.

Previous international collaboration
Research fellowships at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and University Hospital Zurich (ESR/Bracco); RSNA 2024 Certificate of Merit.

Keywords: cancer prevention, screening programmes, prostate cancer, early detection, risk-based screening, multiparametric MRI, PI-RADS, urinary biomarkers, PCA3, TMPRSS2:ERG, overdiagnosis, biopsy avoidance, clinical validation, virtual human twin, AI, radiomics