The studies cover RADAR for aneurysm detection, Aneurysm@risk for growth/rupture risk, ASSIST for device selection and positioning, INTERACT for imaging guidance, SAFO for remote follow-up, MISTRAL for liver ablation imaging, and RHODES comparing robotic versus manual biopsies.

SHERPA aims to generate evidence to support broader adoption of AI-based smart assistive technologies in interventional radiology and to address rising demand for specialized workforce across Europe and beyond.

The liver and lung studies focus on Cone Beam CT workflow optimization for liver ablations (MISTRAL) and robotic versus free-hand lung biopsies (RHODES) to improve precision and efficiency.

The SHERPA consortium includes five industry partners, five academic institutions across seven European countries, and five research/medical associations, linking major hospitals such as Utrecht, Hamburg-Eppendorf, Bicêtre AP-HP, and Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau.

Initial year成果 include AI for aneurysm detection and liver tumor planning, robotics to boost precision, and AI-based confirmation of treatment success integrated into end-to-end procedure workflows.

SHERPA seeks to address staff shortages and procedural complexity by automating repetitive tasks, supporting decision-making, and accelerating learning for interventional and neuroradiologists.

A dedicated SHERPA session at the European Congress of Radiology 2026, on March 4, will showcase the project’s assistive technologies for interventional radiology, with agenda details available in press materials.

Over three years, the research will refine these tools and measure impacts on patient experience, workload, interventionist satisfaction, and clinical performance, with brain aneurysm work spanning AI detection, risk prediction, device selection/positioning, imaging guidance optimization, and digital remote follow-up.

SHERPA is structured as a four-year EU-supported project coordinating industry and academic partners to validate AI- and robotics-assisted workflows for neurovascular and tumor procedures.

A European SHERPA program will run seven clinical studies across several major hospitals to evaluate AI-driven imaging, planning, guidance, decision support, and patient pathway orchestration for brain and liver procedures.

The consortium, led by Philips and co-funded by the EU Innovative Health Initiative and industry partners, has launched seven studies within a four-year program with a total budget of EUR 21.5 million to validate AI- and robotics-assisted workflows for minimally invasive brain and liver treatments.

In its first year, SHERPA developed AI algorithms for aneurysm detection and liver tumor planning, plus robotic enhancements and AI-based treatment-confirmation tools that have been integrated into end-to-end workflows.