Leidos pledges $10m to boost AI-powered disease diagnostics with University of Pittsburgh

How is Leidos advancing AI for faster disease detection?

Leidos Holdings, Inc. has announced a $10 million strategic investment to boost the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in disease detection and diagnostics. The five-year initiative, launched in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh‘s Computational Pathology and AI Center of Excellence (CPACE), is aimed at accelerating innovation in digital pathology and enhancing global health care capabilities. The collaboration will initially prioritise faster identification of high-impact diseases such as cancer and heart disease, where early intervention is critical to improving patient outcomes.

The initiative not only aligns with Leidos’ long-standing role in applying AI to national priorities, including health care and defence, but also positions the University of Pittsburgh as a central hub for digital health research. By blending academic research with industry expertise, the collaboration is expected to yield AI-powered diagnostic tools that could significantly reduce diagnostic turnaround times and improve access to care, especially for underserved populations.

Why are digital pathology and AI seen as the future of medical diagnostics?

Digital pathology is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of modern diagnostics, and artificial intelligence is accelerating this shift. At the heart of this transformation is the ability of machine learning algorithms to analyse digital images of tissue samples at a scale and precision far beyond human capabilities. This is particularly vital for diseases like cancer, where early detection can mean the difference between life and death.

The collaboration between Leidos and the University of Pittsburgh aims to refine and deploy these technologies in clinical settings. By integrating AI into digital pathology workflows, pathologists can process and interpret samples faster and with greater accuracy, thereby reducing the time between diagnosis and treatment. The University of Pittsburgh’s CPACE will serve as the innovation engine behind this effort, driving cutting-edge research and housing the next generation of digital pathology infrastructure.

What are the key goals of the Leidos-CPACE partnership?

The partnership between Leidos and the University of Pittsburgh is built around three central goals: establishing a world-class research ecosystem, developing scalable digital health care solutions, and ensuring these innovations have a global reach.

The University of Pittsburgh will enhance its Digital Pathology Research Center to support advanced studies in AI-driven diagnostics. Leidos, meanwhile, will leverage its two decades of experience in applied AI and health care technology to commercialise viable solutions. These will be deployed not only across public hospitals and clinics but also through private health networks and research institutions worldwide.

A major focus will be placed on conditions that impact a large share of the global population, such as cardiovascular disease and various forms of cancer. These diseases are leading causes of mortality and carry high treatment costs when diagnosed late. Early diagnosis, therefore, becomes a powerful tool in mitigating long-term health care burdens.

How does this collaboration build on Leidos’ existing work in health innovation?

Leidos is no newcomer to the health innovation landscape. For over 25 years, the company has managed operations for the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research under the National Cancer Institute. In this role, it has supported numerous breakthroughs in oncology research and drug development.

Leidos has also led AI deployments in mission-critical areas like national security and energy, and brings its extensive experience to health care delivery systems for U.S. veterans and military families. This background positions Leidos as a key enabler in translating research into scalable digital health solutions.

With this latest investment, Leidos aims to replicate its success in other domains by fast-tracking AI innovations from lab to clinic. The collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh allows for rapid prototyping, validation, and eventual market deployment of AI-enabled medical diagnostics tools.

How will the partnership support education and workforce development?

In addition to technological development, the Leidos-Pittsburgh collaboration is investing in education and workforce training. As part of the agreement, both institutions will develop a range of academic and professional programmes to cultivate the next generation of innovators in digital pathology and AI-powered health care.

Students will gain access to real-world experience through internship opportunities and joint research projects, working alongside Leidos engineers and University of Pittsburgh researchers. Annual symposiums and knowledge exchange initiatives will foster a multidisciplinary approach to innovation, combining expertise from fields such as medicine, computer science, and data analytics.

This focus on workforce development is intended to create a pipeline of skilled professionals ready to implement and manage AI-based health systems at scale, a crucial component in ensuring long-term adoption and impact.

What role does regulatory readiness play in AI-driven health care?

One of the biggest hurdles for deploying AI in medical settings is navigating complex regulatory frameworks. Tools used for diagnosis must meet stringent safety and efficacy standards set by agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

To address this, Leidos and CPACE are building regulatory validation into the development cycle. AI models will be designed with compliance in mind, ensuring that once the tools are ready for clinical use, they can be swiftly approved and adopted. The collaboration also seeks to influence best practices and standards in digital pathology, helping shape the future regulatory landscape.

According to Hooman Rashidi, executive director of CPACE, scaling access to these tools requires not only technological development but also strategic partnerships with industry players like Leidos, who have experience navigating compliance pathways and scaling solutions globally.

How does the collaboration plan to impact underserved communities?

A key pillar of the initiative is the commitment to health equity. Leidos CEO Tom Bell highlighted that the project aims to expand access to high-quality diagnostics in underserved areas, including rural communities and veteran populations that often face barriers to timely care.

By lowering costs and improving efficiency in disease detection, AI-powered diagnostic systems could be deployed in low-resource settings where trained specialists are scarce. The scalable nature of digital pathology—especially when combined with remote image analysis and cloud-based AI tools—opens the door to decentralised care models.

This has the potential to democratise access to early-stage diagnosis, reducing health disparities and improving outcomes across diverse patient populations.

What are the long-term implications for global health care innovation?

The partnership between Leidos and the University of Pittsburgh underscores a broader trend of convergence between academia and industry to accelerate medical innovation. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in health care workflows, collaborations like this will play a critical role in shaping future standards for diagnostics and care delivery.

Long-term, the commercialisation of validated AI tools developed through CPACE may lead to wider adoption across national health systems, research labs, and even point-of-care settings. By demonstrating proof-of-concept in a research-intensive university environment and scaling through a Fortune 500 partner, the model offers a blueprint for translating cutting-edge science into practical, life-saving applications.

As digital pathology continues to mature, and as regulatory pathways become clearer, partnerships of this nature will likely become more common, especially in areas like oncology, cardiology, and infectious diseases.

Through this multi-dimensional collaboration, Leidos and the University of Pittsburgh are not only advancing the frontiers of AI in medicine but also building the infrastructure and talent required to sustain those advances. The initiative represents a major step toward the integration of AI as a core component of global health innovation.