A Breakthrough in Cancer Research

On August 27, 2025, researchers from New York's prestigious Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai unveiled a groundbreaking AI tool poised to revolutionize the examination of cancer tissues.

Introducing MARQO: The Future of Cancer Analysis

Dubbed the multiplex-imaging analysis, registration, quantification, and overlaying tool—nicknamed MARQO—this innovative open-source computational analysis aims to "transform" the scrutiny of cancer tissues and foster a new era of personalized treatment options.

From Labor-Intensive to Efficient

Traditionally, cancer tissue analysis has been a labor-intensive process, often limited to small sample areas. MARQO drastically enhances this efficiency by streamlining the analysis of immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) images derived from fluorescence staining.

Empowering Pathologists with Rapid Processing

Unlike existing analysis tools that require users to break slides into smaller patches or rely on expensive computing resources, MARQO keeps entire slides intact, completing the analysis in minutes rather than hours. This revolutionary approach allows pathologists to focus more on interpretation and discovery rather than tedious data processing.

Reproducibility and Accuracy at its Core

MARQO’s capabilities extend to various common IHC and IF staining technologies, making cross-study comparisons simpler and more reproducible. It automatically identifies likely positive cells, providing coordinates and marker intensities before handing the final validation back to human experts—thus ensuring that professional judgment remains integral to the process.

Real-World Application and Future Goals

In trials utilizing human cancer tumor samples, MARQO demonstrated its potential, achieving impressive results when compared to conventional manual evaluations by pathologists. While it is currently designated for research use, its compatibility with standard clinical staining methods hints at promising future applications in pathology labs.

Accelerating Cancer Diagnostics and Treatment

The team at Mount Sinai envisions MARQO facilitating the discovery of new biomarkers and refining methods to determine which patients may benefit from specific therapies. "This platform could accelerate biomarker discovery and ultimately improve cancer diagnostics," remarked Sacha Gnjatic, emphasizing the tool’s potential in creating more precise, individualized treatment strategies for cancer patients.