E191 ‘AI’s Impact on Global Pathology’ with Deciphex’s Donal O’Shea

Today’s guest is Donal O’Shea, Chief Executive at Deciphex. Pathology is at the forefront of medical diagnostics, offering pivotal insights critical for patient treatment. Yet, in many parts of the world, there remains a stark shortage of pathologists, posing challenges to timely and accurate diagnoses. In this podcast, Donal shares his thrilling journey from academia to industry, where he has become a key player in utilising AI to enhance pathology services globally.

Donal’s journey began in academia, where he was introduced to pathology by the late Professor Peter Dervan at UCD. Despite being a bioprocess engineer by training, Donal’s work in pathology sparked his interest in medical innovation. This interest led to the founding of Slidepath, a company focused on digital pathology innovation, which eventually grew and was integrated into a major US multinational company. This transition provided Donal with invaluable experience in scaling a business from its academic roots into the global market.

As Donal describes, the global pathology landscape faces significant supply-demand issues. With aging populations and increasing complexity in healthcare leading to more biopsies, the expertise of skilled pathologists has never been more crucial. However, attracting new talent into the field is challenging, partly due to misconceptions about the role of AI in replacing skilled human analysis.

Donal sees AI not as a replacement but as an augmentation for pathologists. AI can handle lower-value functions such as morphology assessments, while pathologists focus on integrating data to deliver comprehensive diagnostic reports. This synergy could significantly decrease turnaround times for diagnoses and improve patient outcomes, particularly in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, where access to pathology services is severely limited.

A critical part of Donal’s strategy has been forming essential partnerships with international clinical organizations. By working with 25 NHS trusts in the UK, Deciphex has managed to rapidly scale its diagnostic services, impacting the lives of over 120,000 people annually. These collaborations are not only essential for growth but also integral in revolutionising diagnostic turnaround times from weeks to merely a day.

AI’s potential in pathology hinges on accessing high-quality data, a challenge due to ethical considerations and the rarity of severe diseases in large datasets. Despite these challenges, innovations in AI model architectures and synthetic data are showing promise. Developing specialised models tailored to pathology data is on the horizon, promising more accurate and efficient diagnostics.

Looking forward, Donal aims to expand Deciphex’s impact, particularly in underserved regions. Reaching a milestone where a million samples are analysed annually would not only signify a business success but a meaningful global health advancement. His vision encompasses improving access to timely diagnoses worldwide, decreasing the emotional burden experienced by countless individuals during the waiting period for critical results.

Through his journey, Donal exemplifies the potential of cross-industry learning and global collaboration in transforming healthcare. The integration of AI into pathology isn’t about replacing human expertise but enhancing it to serve more people better and faster. This vision, driven by passion and innovation, marks the way forward for healthcare diagnostics.