StratifAI Selected for MSK iHub Challenge 2025 Cohort to Accelerate Polaris™ Validation Using World-Class Clinical Datasets
StratifAI, the AI-driven precision oncology company behind the Polaris™ platform, today announced its selection for the prestigious Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) iHub Challenge 2025 Cohort program. This milestone provides StratifAI with unprecedented access to MSK’s extensive clinical datasets, alongside the opportunity to collaborate directly with leading clinicians and researchers. The engagement is designed to accelerate the validation of Polaris™, StratifAI’s fully digital, multimodal AI platform, positioning it for regulatory approval and integration into global clinical guidelines.
Transforming Biomarker Validation in Oncology
For decades, the development of biomarkers in oncology has faced significant challenges. High costs, slow research timelines, and limited datasets have historically constrained the discovery and validation of biomarkers that can meaningfully impact patient care. Polaris™ was developed to address these barriers. By leveraging routine clinical data already generated as part of standard patient care, Polaris™ identifies novel biomarkers that inform treatment decisions without requiring costly or specialized testing.
Unlike traditional approaches that rely on narrow datasets or labor-intensive assays, Polaris™ combines AI-driven analysis with multimodal data—including pathology images, genomic information, and clinical records—to create a scalable, globally applicable biomarker platform. This capability allows oncology teams to derive actionable insights from real-world patient data, accelerating precision treatment planning.
Through its participation in the MSK iHub Challenge, StratifAI will validate Polaris™ using thousands of patient samples from MSK, providing the critical evidence needed to demonstrate its clinical utility across diverse populations. Access to MSK’s world-class datasets and direct collaboration with top clinicians and researchers will ensure that Polaris™ is rigorously evaluated in real-world clinical contexts, a crucial step toward broader adoption in both the United States and Europe.
Building a New Standard for Clinical Validation
The MSK iHub Challenge is designed to identify and support innovative health technology solutions with high potential for clinical impact. Selected participants gain access to MSK’s rich resources, mentorship from leading experts, and a collaborative environment that fosters rapid innovation. For StratifAI, this platform represents more than a validation exercise—it provides a pathway to set new standards for biomarker validation in oncology.
“Validating Polaris™ on thousands of patient samples from MSK is a decisive stride toward clinical certification and guideline inclusion across major healthcare systems,” said Omar El Nahhas, CEO and co-founder of StratifAI. “Partnering with MSK’s world-class clinicians and researchers allows us to refine the platform and advance our mission of enabling global access to top-tier cancer care.”
Rick Peng, who manages the iHub program and serves as Lead, Digital Ventures, in MSK’s Office of Entrepreneurship & Commercialization, added: “We are excited to work with StratifAI as part of the MSK iHub Challenge 2025 Cohort. Throughout our competitive evaluation and selection process, it was clear that StratifAI has a focus on technological innovations that can be accelerated to meaningful impact with support from MSK.”
Extending Impact Beyond the Challenge
While the immediate goal of the collaboration is to validate Polaris™ during the Challenge, both MSK and StratifAI envision a longer-term partnership. The collaboration aims to establish pathways for ongoing validation and refinement of Polaris™ across different clinical contexts, strengthening the platform’s utility for oncologists worldwide. By demonstrating reproducibility and effectiveness in diverse patient populations, StratifAI hopes to create a biomarker platform that is not only scientifically rigorous but also clinically transformative.
This extended collaboration could pave the way for integrating Polaris™ into standard clinical workflows, supporting oncologists in making more informed treatment decisions, and ultimately improving patient outcomes. With the ability to analyze multimodal clinical data rapidly, Polaris™ is poised to become a critical tool in global precision oncology efforts.
Focus on Breast Cancer Recurrence Risk
A central focus of StratifAI’s work with Polaris™ is the ongoing development and validation of Polaris™ Breast, a test designed to assess recurrence risk in patients with early-stage breast cancer. Breast cancer remains one of the most common malignancies worldwide, and accurately predicting recurrence risk is essential for optimizing treatment strategies and avoiding overtreatment.
By combining advanced AI algorithms with comprehensive datasets from MSK and other exclusive data partners in Europe and the United States, StratifAI is building the robust clinical evidence required for regulatory approval, reimbursement, and integration into international treatment guidelines. This evidence base will support oncologists in making precise, individualized treatment decisions while ensuring the broad applicability of Polaris™ across different populations and healthcare systems.
Polaris™ Breast exemplifies StratifAI’s broader mission: to create accessible, AI-driven biomarker solutions that can transform routine clinical data into actionable insights. By removing traditional barriers to biomarker discovery, the platform enables more rapid innovation and wider adoption, helping to bring precision oncology to patients who need it most.
A Step Toward Global Precision Oncology
The selection of StratifAI for the MSK iHub Challenge 2025 Cohort underscores the growing recognition of AI-driven solutions in advancing precision oncology. With access to MSK’s world-class datasets and collaborative expertise, StratifAI is uniquely positioned to validate Polaris™ at scale, ensuring that its findings are scientifically robust, clinically relevant, and globally applicable.
Through this partnership, StratifAI aims to accelerate the adoption of Polaris™ as a trusted tool for oncologists worldwide. The engagement represents a significant step toward the company’s long-term vision: enabling universal access to high-quality, data-driven cancer care that empowers clinicians to deliver more personalized, effective treatments.
In summary, StratifAI’s inclusion in the MSK iHub Challenge 2025 Cohort marks a major milestone in the company’s journey to transform biomarker discovery and validation. By leveraging AI and real-world clinical data, Polaris™ is poised to set a new standard in precision oncology, offering scalable solutions that improve patient care and outcomes globally.
