Summer 2025 Innovation Event: AI in the diagnostic pathway

Presentation Title: AI: A guide for patients, carers and doctors, from the regulator.

What people can expect to learn:

• How the regulator thinks about AI
• How AI is being used (as a medical device)
• How AI is being used (within the regulator)
• How you can help us understand how AI is being used

Bio: My father's death of prostate cancer made me a doctor. It made me think that things could be done better, and that, if I was better, people like my father wouldn't die

My patients' deaths during the pandemic showed me that wasn't enough. It made me think that things had to be done better, and to do that, one had to be in the rooms where the decisions were being made.

Now, as head of software and AI medical devices, I work to change our systems and make sure that the best, safest products make it into the NHS as soon as possible, while the dangerous, risky or useless ones are prevented.

Presentation Title: Understanding the effectiveness of advanced AI and a machine learning software system – in detecting prostate cancer lesions from MRI scans.

Bio: Olly has a specific interest in prostate cancer diagnostics and therapy and has led the introduction of transperineal biopsy in his centre. Olly has a keen interest in teaching and education and is currently training consultant and sonographer colleagues in the new biopsy technique. Olly has worked closely with Prostate Cancer UK in the past on developing their patient information leaflets. This challenged his preconceptions of what constitutes good patient information. In particular, the input from patients and support groups which he found enlightening and led to him revising his own in-house information leaflets armed with this new knowledge and experience. Olly is thrilled to be a part of Prostate Cancer UK’s Clinical Champions Programme and looks forward to meeting other like-minded individuals seeking to drive patient care forward. His project seeks to work alongside colleagues in general practice to address misconceptions regarding over-diagnosis of prostate cancer and their perceived risks of prostate biopsy.

Presentation Title: Real world experiences with prostate pathology AI

Bio: Clare Verrill is Professor of Cellular Pathology and Artificial Intelligence with the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences at the University of Oxford and Honorary Consultant Cellular Pathologist with Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Her sub speciality is urological pathology and has her own research group focussing on digital pathology and AI. The NHS Cellular Pathology Laboratory in Oxford has achieved the milestone of scanning 100% of surgical histology workload under her oversight. She was previously Oxford Principal Investigator for Oxford PathLAKE (one of the UK Government’s AI Centres of Excellence) and has worked with computer science partners to develop AI. She is the Principal Investigator of a phase 4 AI in Healthcare study to evaluate Paige Prostate AI in NHS settings. She is a previous Turing Fellow with the Alan Turing Institute.

Presentation Title: “Use of AI in prostate cancer pathology – Welsh experience”.

What people can expect to learn about:

• AI (artificial intelligence) or computational pathology
• Innovative way of working to get most efficient and best quality prostatic pathology diagnostic work up
• Sharing experience from a national project how to achieve consistency and standardisation in prostate pathology
• Direction to be right first time; every time.

Bio: Dr M B Aslam is a consultant pathologist at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board with a special interest in digital pathology and artificial intelligence. He has played a key leadership role in the development and implementation of AI-enabled diagnostic services across Wales, including pioneering national deployment projects in prostate, breast, upper GI, and pan-cancer pathology.

With extensive experience in clinical leadership and NHS management, Dr Aslam currently serves as the national clinical lead for digital pathology and AI in Wales. His work focuses on enhancing diagnostic quality, reducing turnaround times, and supporting the digital transformation of pathology services.