Emory’s MarginCall Project Receives $17.6 Million

A groundbreaking project at Emory University received $17.6 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Farzad Fereidouni, PhD, an associate professor of pathology at Emory University School of Medicine and a faculty member at the Emory AI.Health Institute, leads the MarginCall project along with co-principal investigator Anant Madabhushi, PhD., MarginCall, aims to improve surgical margin evaluation during cancer surgeries, primarily for breast and ovarian cancers. 

ARPA-H is a federal research funding agency dedicated to accelerating healthcare breakthroughs to address health challenges. Its funding of MarginCall supports efforts to address a key issue in cancer surgery: the current time-consuming and sometimes inefficient method of evaluating surgical margins. Currently, tissue is analyzed after surgery, and if cancer cells are detected near the margin, a second surgery may be required.

With ARPA-H support, Emory researchers are developing fluorescence-imitating brightfield imaging (FIBI), a technology designed to provide rapid, high-resolution imaging of excised tissue during surgery. The technology will allow surgeons to evaluate margins in near real-time, reducing delays and improving patient outcomes. FIBI-generated images provide histology-grade resolution and will be analyzed by pathologists or artificial intelligence tools. “The plan is to get FDA-approved and commercialize these products,” says Fereidouni.

The MarginCall project will be divided into two phases. The first two years will focus on refining the technology and ensuring the effectiveness of FIBI and AI analyses. During the next three years, patient recruitment and clinical implementation will begin. ARPA-H's support provides hope that this technology will reach not only advanced medical facilities but also under-supported communities. 

"This technology has the potential to not only improve patient outcomes but also make high-quality cancer care accessible to communities that currently lack essential diagnostic resources," says Feredouni.