TOKYO, JAPAN — 27 NOVEMBER 2025 | The MIT Jameel Clinic, the epicentre of artificial intelligence (AI) and health at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the National Cancer Centre (NCC) Hospital in Japan have today announced a new collaboration to evaluate Mirai, a groundbreaking deep learning model that can analyse a patient’s mammogram to accurately predict the patient’s risk of developing breast cancer in the next five years.
Developed at the MIT Jameel Clinic, which was co-founded in 2018 by MIT and Community Jameel, Mirai has been validated on more than two million mammograms in 72 hospitals across 23 countries.
The collaboration was presented today at a ceremony attended by Mohammed Jameel KBE, founder and chairman of Community Jameel, and Yasuyuki Seto, director of the NCC Hospital in Japan.
The collaboration will launch with a study that will aim to evaluate Mirai’s ability to predict breast cancer risk in Japanese women using mammography images.
This joint study will analyse mammography data collected between 2013 and 2024 to determine whether Mirai can accurately assess breast cancer risk in Japanese women, further building on its successful validation records.
If successful, the findings could help shape a more personalised approach to breast cancer screening in Japan, enabling closer monitoring for higher-risk individuals while reducing unnecessary tests for those at lower risk.
Breast cancer remains one of the most common cancers among women in Japan, accounting for 22% of all female cancer cases in Japan, according to a 2025 study, amounting to approximately 91,100 diagnoses each year.
It is estimated that around 15,900 women died from breast cancer in 2025. By contrast, when breast cancer was detected at an early stage, the five-year relative survival rate exceeds 90%, demonstrating significantly better outcomes.
This data highlights the importance of identifying risk earlier and ensuring appropriate follow-up and care. In Japan, mammography screening is currently recommended every two years for women aged 40 and above.
While mammograms allow physicians to detect small lumps and microcalcifications not visible through self-examination, interpretation is still primarily visual and dependent on clinical experience.
Mohammed Jameel KBE, founder and chairman, Community Jameel, said: "Mirai is a powerful tool that harnesses AI to improve cancer care for women around the world.
"With the Jameel family’s deep and longstanding connection to Japan, we are delighted that the MIT Jameel Clinic and Community Jameel are collaborating with the National Cancer Centre to open the way for Mirai to improve care for Japanese women at risk of breast cancer.”
Dr Susumu Yonemori, director, department of medical oncology, NCC Hospital, said: “This study has the potential to contribute to improving women’s health by predicting an individual’s future risk of breast cancer using large-scale mammography screening data from the past and present.
"Our team in Japan is committed to advancing this work as part of an international collaboration with the MIT Jameel Clinic, and we look forward to contributing meaningfully to this important global research effort."
Professor Regina Barzilay, AI faculty lead, MIT Jameel Clinic, said: "With Mirai’s ability to predict a patient’s cancer risk up to five years in advance, my hope is that this research collaboration will inspire new approaches to breast cancer screening and treatment in Japan."
The study will focus on analysing data from individuals screened for breast cancer at the NCC Hospital and Yotsuya Medical Cube between 2013 and 2024. Mirai will analyse mammography images from these screenings to predict breast cancer risk over a one-to-five-year horizon.
Predicted risk scores will then be compared with actual outcomes to evaluate the model’s accuracy and reliability in a Japanese clinical context.
If validated, this research could mark an important step toward introducing AI-supported, risk-based breast cancer screening in Japan — helping detect cancer earlier and personalise care through advanced technology.
The study is supported by Community Jameel and Jameel Corporation.