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A deep learning framework for efficient pathology image analysis

delete2026-07-01
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OA
AI
P
Peter Neidlinger
S
Sebastian Foersch
C
Chiara M. L. Loeffler
J
Jan Clusmann
M
Marco Gustav
L
Lawrence A. Shaktah
R
Rupert Langer
L
Lisa A. Boardman
A
Amy J. French
E
Ellen L. Goode
A
Andrea Gsur
S
Stefanie Brezina
M
Marc J. Gunter
R
Robert S. Steinfelder
H
Hans-Michael Behrens
C
Christoph Röcken
T
Tabitha A. Harrison
U
Ulrike Peters
A
Amanda I. Phipps
G
Giuseppe Curigliano
N
Nicola Fusco
A
Antonio Marra
M
Michael Hoffmeister
H
Hermann Brenner
J
Jakob Nikolas Kather
DOI:10.1038/s41467-026-74918-9delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Artificial intelligence has transformed digital pathology by enabling biomarker prediction from high-resolution whole-slide images. However, current methods are computationally inefficient, processing thousands of redundant tiles per slide and requiring complex aggregation models. We introduce EAGLE (Efficient Approach for Guided Local Examination), a deep learning framework that emulates pathologists by selectively analyzing informative regions. EAGLE combines task-agnostic tile selection with detailed feature extraction and is benchmarked against leading slide- and tile-level foundation models across 43 tasks from nine cancer types spanning morphology, biomarker prediction, treatment response and prognosis. EAGLE outperforms patch aggregation methods by up to 23% and achieves the highest overall classification performance. It processes one slide in 2.27 s, reducing computational time by more than 99% compared with existing models. This efficiency supports rapid and auditable workflows by enabling review of the exact tiles used for each prediction and reducing dependence on high-performance computing. By reliably identifying informative regions and minimizing artifacts, EAGLE provides robust and auditable outputs, supported by systematic negative controls and attention concentration analyses. Its unified embedding enables rapid slide search, integration into multi-omics pipelines and emerging clinical foundation models. While AI methods have significantly advanced computational pathology, existing methods typically are very resource-intensive. Here, the authors develop EAGLE, a deep learning framework that emulates pathologists by selectively analyzing informative regions, and benchmark this model against leading slide- and tile-level foundation models across nine cancer types.
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Journal

Nature Communications cover
Nature Communications
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15.7
Papers:
9.2W
Citations:
91.2W

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