Professor Jean-Christophe Sabourin

“I am very interested in innovation in anatomical pathology, particularly the digital transition and the development of artificial intelligence. We have discovered that our HE&HES slides contain a wealth of information that we have not yet been able to exploit with the human eye. AI allows us to reexamine our slides and extract information at the molecular level without having to do molecular biology.

That's why I decided to dedicate some of my time to working with a company like Owkin. In France, we have a network of start-ups that want to interact and collaborate with us. I had the opportunity to meet the Owkin team at various conferences and to work with them on feasibility projects and medical-economic analysis. One of the tools proposed by Owkin is the detection of microsatellite instability status in colon tumors. We will compare this method to our reference techniques, immunohistochemistry and molecular biology, and do a medical-economic analysis to determine the cost and effectiveness of this solution.

I am convinced that AI in anatomical pathology will be a real co-pilot for pathologists, providing them with probabilities and guiding them towards a more precise and efficient diagnosis. This will also save time and reduce costs by avoiding unnecessary molecular analyses. Owkin's pilot project will allow hospitals that are not yet digitized to send their slides to laboratories with AI capabilities. This is very important. This will help to spread the AI tools’ access to all French centers that wish to use them.

I am proud to be able to help and support people, both as a doctor and as a department head. I also enjoy traveling and discovering new landscapes and cultures. I see myself as a humanist, trying to have as human a view of others as possible and hoping for the same in return."

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Credit for photography and interview: Florent Tribalat