The University of Utah aims to harness millions in state funding to build an AI-assisted computing infrastructure focused on advancing medical and policy decisions for cancer patients and families with higher risk.
SALT LAKE CITY — Could artificial intelligence be used to improve outcomes for cancer patients and families with higher cancer risks? The University of Utah is looking to answer that question, harnessing millions in state funding to build an AI-assisted computing infrastructure to advance medical and policy decisions.
The passage of HB2 during the 2026 legislative session ushered in an $18.6 million investment in a new technology system to maximize understanding of data stored in the Utah Population Database and to leverage the expertise of researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and across campus, to accelerate health innovations and discoveries for future generations.
"The Utah Population Database has been used to discover the most common and prevalent genes that are inherited in cancer. It's been used to discover the gene for colon cancer, for breast cancer, and for inherited melanoma," said Bradley Cairns, CEO of Huntsman Cancer Institute.
The investment also includes the planned development of the Utah Health AI Vault — which will be housed at the U. — in a partnership with the Huntsman Cancer Institute, the database and the U.'s Center for High Performance Computing. The funding for the Utah Health AI Vault will update the Utah Population Database's data architecture to make it compatible with innovations in data science and AI.
"We are trying to personalize cancer therapies and match patients to the best possible therapies and AI has the capability of looking at large data sets that examine patient cancer types and their treatments and their outcomes, and through that examination, we can look at your tumor and your medical history to find the right treatment that will be optimal for you," said Cairns, who will also co-direct the Utah Health AI Vault alongside James Hotaling, chief innovation officer at University of Utah Health.
"AI has the ability to do this at a large scale and very accurately," Cairns addedWhile the notion of any AI having access to a database of Utahns could be cause for concern, Cairns pointed out that individuals aren't actually identified in the database. Instead, the database uses a unique identifying system that doesn't connect someone's data to their personal information.
"Their data is present, but not their identity. It's privacy-preserving," Cairns said.
Additionally, another $15 million will support the expansion of the university and the state's broader AI ecosystem through an AI sup
Artificial Intelligence Cancer Cancer Patients Family Risks Utah Population Database High-Performance Computing Huntsman Cancer Institute Utah Health AI Vault
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