Alpenglow Biosciences and Virdx Partner to Advance AI-Powered Prostate Cancer Diagnostics

Alpenglow Biosciences, a leader in AI-powered 3D pathology, has announced a strategic, multi-year collaboration with Virdx, a biophysics AI company specializing in MRI-based cancer detection. The milestone-driven agreement aims to advance next-generation diagnostic tools, with an initial focus on improving non-invasive, accurate, and patient-friendly prostate cancer diagnostics. By combining Alpenglow’s high-resolution 3D imaging technology with Virdx’s AI-driven biophysics models, the partnership seeks to bridge the gap between radiology and pathology using volumetric, non-destructive imaging. At the core of the collaboration is the use of Alpenglow’s whole-tissue 3D light-sheet microscopy (LSM) platform to generate comprehensive, high-resolution datasets of human prostate tissue. These samples, often exceeding 4 cm² in area, are imaged in full cross-section to capture intricate architectural details, cellular structures, and rare pathological features invisible to conventional clinical imaging. The resulting LSM data serves as a gold-standard, high-fidelity “ground truth” dataset to train, validate, and refine Virdx’s MRI-based AI models. This integration allows radiologists to better interpret MRI scans by anchoring them to precise anatomical and cellular context, potentially improving diagnostic accuracy and reducing unnecessary biopsies. Nicholas Reder, MD, MPH, CEO and Co-Founder of Alpenglow Biosciences, emphasized the importance of high-quality 3D pathology data in building robust AI diagnostic systems. “This agreement reinforces the critical role of high-quality 3D pathology data in building the next wave of AI diagnostic tools,” he said. Jacob Murray, MD, CEO and Co-Founder of Virdx, added that Alpenglow’s technology enables the generation of essential data to power their AI engine, with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes through earlier, more accurate cancer detection. The project leverages NVIDIA GPUs deployed on local infrastructure, enabling a computational pipeline that is more than 10 times faster than traditional CPU-based systems. This speed is critical for processing massive 3D microscopy datasets—each measuring several terabytes—making large-scale clinical trials feasible. Alpenglow Biosciences is a member of NVIDIA Inception, a global program supporting innovative startups in AI and data science. The collaboration exemplifies a growing trend in precision medicine: using AI to integrate diverse data modalities. By aligning MRI-based imaging with 3D pathology, the partnership aims to create a unified diagnostic framework that enhances both radiological and pathological insights. This approach not only supports earlier detection of prostate cancer but also paves the way for similar applications in other cancers and diseases. Virdx, founded to harness the full potential of MRI through biophysics AI, is building tools that enable non-invasive, actionable, and dignified diagnostics. The company collaborates with academic medical centers, radiology networks, and industry partners worldwide. Alpenglow Biosciences, meanwhile, specializes in transforming tissue into rich, quantitative 3D data through AI-enhanced imaging. Its platform enables scalable, non-destructive digitization of entire tissue samples, supporting drug discovery, clinical diagnostics, and personalized medicine. Together, Alpenglow and Virdx are advancing a new era of AI-driven diagnostics, where high-resolution spatial biology and advanced imaging converge to deliver more accurate, humane, and effective healthcare solutions. The success of this partnership could set a precedent for future collaborations between AI, imaging, and pathology, ultimately transforming how diseases are detected and treated.