New Artificial Intelligence Software Spots Lung Nodules on CT Scans

Their software, called S4ND, relies on deep learning techniques, coupled with more than 1,000 previously captured lung CT scans, to point out suspect lesions. The Central Florida team built a 3D convolutional neural network to power S4ND so that it doesn’t require any input from the user to produce the results. “We used the brain as a model to create our system,” said Rodney LaLonde, one of the researchers involved in the project. “You know how connections between neurons in the brain strengthen during development and learn? We used that blueprint, if you will, to help our system understand how to look for patterns in the CT scans and teach itself how to find these tiny tumors.”