Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) is proud to announce that the Proteome of Cancer (ProCan®) research program, has been named the winner of Australia’s AI-F1 National Innovation Challenge, led by Australian technology leader ResetData and unveiled today at NVIDIA AI Day during the Sydney SXSW Festival.
ProCan is pioneering the use of proteomics to personalise cancer treatment. ProCan aims to match individual cancer patients to the best treatment plan for their cancer by predicting treatment outcomes based on analyses of the proteins in their cancers. By studying the proteins in cancer tissue, key indicators of cell behaviour and drug response, ProCan has built the world’s largest single-platform cancer proteomic database, covering most cancer types in both adults and children.
With access to ResetData’s AI-F1 Supercomputer, ProCan will now aim to develop the world’s first multimodal foundation model that integrates mass spectrometry files, histopathology images, and clinical metadata. This model will accelerate biomarker discovery and enable precision medicine even for rare cancers, transforming how cancer is diagnosed and treated by reducing research time from years to months.
The AI-F1 National Innovation Challenge, launched by ResetData in August to celebrate the debut of Australia’s most powerful public sovereign AI supercomputer, attracted many bold and visionary submissions from across the country.
ProCan’s winning entry was selected for its potential to deliver nationwide impact, addressing one of Australia’s most pressing challenges through the power of artificial intelligence. As the winner, ProCan will receive up to 200 billion AI tokens valued at $1 million, along with mentorship from leading experts and access to ResetData’s sovereign AI infrastructure to bring its solution to life.
“This is a turning point for cancer research,” said Professor Roger Reddel, Director of Children’s Medical Research Institute. “By combining our unique proteomic data with ResetData’s cutting-edge AI, we’re unlocking new possibilities for personalised treatment that has the potential to benefit every cancer patient.”
“We were impressed by the volume and quality of submissions – from startups and researchers to established organisations,” said Bass Salah, Joint CEO of ResetData. “ProCan’s idea captured the spirit of the competition: bold, scalable, and deeply relevant to Australia’s future. It’s a powerful example of how sovereign AI infrastructure can unlock real-world solutions.”
“ResetData’s mission is to empower Australian innovation with world-class, onshore AI capabilities. This competition has shown us just how much untapped potential exists across the country. We’re thrilled to support ProCan in turning their vision into reality,” added Mr Salah.
The judging panel, which included NVIDIA’s ANZ Country Manager Sudarshan Ramachandran, CommBank’s CIO of Technology Brendan Hopper, futurist Dr Catherine Ball, and tech commentator Adam Spencer, praised the winning entry for its originality, feasibility, and potential to scale nationally.
This milestone marks an exciting step forward in cancer research, demonstrating how CMRI’s world-leading science, combined with cutting-edge AI, can accelerate discoveries and ultimately improve outcomes for patients across Australia and beyond.