Student-designed AI platform aims to match patients to specific cancer support groups

Siddhant Nagar, OncoSupport founder. Photo provided.

The trial will utilize a platform called OncoSupport, developed by a nonprofit organization of the same name. The nonprofit and AI platform were created by fourth-year UC medical sciences and honors student Siddhant Nagar.

Nagar, of Mason, Ohio, was drawn from an early age to medicine and plans to go to medical school following his undergraduate studies. While working as a patient care assistant at UC Health and volunteering with Blood Cancer United (formerly the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society), he identified the need to improve mental health care infrastructure for patients with cancer.

In the summer of 2023, Nagar developed the first version of the OncoSupport platform and built the initial machine-learning pipeline.

"I really found my niche in machine learning, so I developed a machine-learning algorithm designed to group patients based on clinical and psychosocial similarity," he explained. "It took a very long time to build it, and additional software engineering support has since been brought on to continue advancing the platform."

Anjanette Wells, PhD. Photo/University of Cincinnati.

Since Nagar is still an undergraduate student, he partnered with University of Cincinnati Cancer Center researchers Anjanette Wells, PhD, and Georgia Anderson, PhD, as co-principal investigators for the trial. Both researchers have clinical oncology social work experience.

"A clinical trial is the gold standard in research, and Siddhant is just extremely bright," said Wells, an associate professor in UC's College of Medicine. "I like the project because it's very innovative in that it intersects in medicine and technology, which is the wave of the future. I like the customization and the tailoring that has gone into it, and I'm excited to be on the project."

Anderson said she is excited to see how the AI platform works in practice, including whether there is such a thing as patients being "too much alike."

Georgia Anderson, PhD. Photo/University of Cincinnati.

"That's what I love about being a social worker, doing psychosocial clinical care, is every time you think you've got it figured out, you learn something new because all people are different and circumstances are always moving," said Anderson, an assistant professor in UC's College of Medicine.

The project is personal for both researchers. Wells' father is currently being treated for multiple myeloma, and Anderson's father passed away from leukemia in 2020. They said the combination of AI-powered assignments and virtual support groups presents an opportunity to make mental health care more accessible for patients like their family members.

"So hopefully, once we find out more about its use, we can open and expand access for a lot more people," Wells said. "My dad is constantly getting information about different resources and support groups, but I think this offers something that would be tailored to him."

"I think the psychosocial needs of cancer patients have been acknowledged more greatly than they have ever in the past, but there's still a lot of room to add to the toolbox," Anderson added. "I don't know if my dad would have been a support group guy, but I think using that technology to match him with other people might have helped give them that extra safety net."

Join us as we redefine what it means to be a Bearcat - where every learner is supported, valued and equipped to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. It's our promise. Bearcats for Life