Menarini Group ("Menarini"), a leading international pharmaceutical and diagnostics company, and Stemline Therapeutics, Inc. ("Stemline"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Menarini Group, focused on providing innovative cancer treatments to cancer patients, announced their collaboration with VisualDx to improve the identification of people with possible BPDCN. This is an example of how innovative companies are working together to incorporate artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) tools that help identify BPDCN as a potential early differential diagnosis. The project includes the use of real images of BPDCN skin lesions and AI/ML technologies integrated into the VisualDx platform. The AI model is now available in VisualDx.

VisualDx is a physician-led company committed to improving medical decision-making, medical education, and research. VisualDx is a clinical decision support system used by more than 2,300 hospitals, clinics, and medical schools around the world. The software includes a comprehensive database of clinical images, submitted through collaborations with educational institutions and other entities, and reviewed by clinicians, to help healthcare professionals identify skin problems on all skin types. By searching for images with AI, doctors can better understand different skin conditions to help patients get more accurate diagnoses during their care.

BPDCN is an aggressive, orphan hematologic neoplasm with a historically poor prognosis (approximately 8.7 to 14 months after diagnosis). It usually has skin lesions and can also affect the bone marrow, blood, central nervous system, lymph nodes and viscera. Dermatologists may be the first to recognize the signs of BPDCN and biopsy suspicious lesions. Pathologists can then detect BPDCN by looking for certain biomarkers with high expression in BPDCN cells. Tagraxofusp-erzs is the only approved treatment for patients with BPDCN and the first and only CD123-targeted therapy approved in the United States, Europe, and other regions of the world.

"BPDCN is a rare and clinically aggressive hematologic malignancy, often presenting with skin lesions. Due to its aggressive nature and involvement of immature cells, the prognosis can be poor if not treated promptly," said Marina Konopleva, MD, Phd, Professor of Molecular Pharmacology, Director of the Leukemia Program and Co-Director of the Montefiore Einstein Blood Cancer Institute. "Early diagnosis plays a critical role in improving patient outcomes, and emerging AI/ML technologies can offer valuable support in the differential diagnosis and early identification of BPDCN."

"BPDCN usually presents initially as a skin lesion and usually has an unfavorable prognosis. There is an urgent need for early diagnosis so that patients can access the right treatment options," said Elcin Barker Ergun, CEO of the Menarini Group. "We are pleased to collaborate with VisualDx to provide healthcare teams with a tool that uses the latest artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) technology to help interpret complex skin lesions."