AI Blood Test Detects Liver Cancer

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center validated an AI-powered blood test, based on the DELFI platform, that accurately detected liver cancer in two distinct populations from Guatemala and Romania. The study, published July 31 in Cell Press Blue, analyzed cell-free DNA fragments from 377 participants, demonstrating high sensitivity when combined with AFP and clinical factors. The team also developed MethID to trace DNA fragment origins, revealing signals from tumor, liver, blood vessel, and immune cells. The test performed consistently despite differing underlying causes, including viral hepatitis, alcohol use, metabolic disease, and aflatoxin exposure. This work extends prior research on detecting liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, and supports the broader vision of a multi-disease blood screening platform. Future steps include prospective clinical validation and multimodal testing. The study was funded by the United States — National Institutes of Health and the United States — United States Department of Defense, among others.