3D slicer: a unified open-source platform for advanced cancer imaging research

The National Cancer Institute awarded Brigham & Women's Hospital $711,696 on July 1, 2026, under the Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research program (CFDA 93.394) to modernize and modularize 3D Slicer, an open-source medical imaging software platform used in cancer research.

The project will rearchitect 3D Slicer's core architecture into logical, reusable building block packages deployable across cloud, workstation, and web browser environments, reducing code duplication and accelerating development of novel medical imaging tools. The recipient will demonstrate the improved architecture by implementing cross-platform brain cancer image analysis software capable of running on both traditional computers and web browsers using a single codebase. The project includes community engagement through workshops, online forums, and tailored learning materials to help the cancer image computing community adopt the modernized 3D Slicer components.

The award period runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031, with place of performance in Boston, Massachusetts.

Isomics Inc., a Cambridge-based medical imaging software company, received a sub-award on August 10, 2026. Dr. Steven Pieper, founder and long-serving Chief Architect of 3D Slicer, will serve as the Isomics site principal investigator, providing technical leadership on unified development platform technology and coordinating with the cancer informatics research community to ensure the platform meets their research priorities. Dr. Pieper will supervise software development personnel and work with the lead research team through collaborative specification, prototyping, and implementation of advanced cancer research imaging tools.

Abstract

3D slicer is a free, open-source software application for analyzing medical images that provides crucial functionality to enable advanced scientific research and support FDA-approved devices. This academic-industrial partnership project will modularize and modernize 3D slicer's core architecture, validate the new architecture through application to vital cancer research, and disseminate the improved methodology. Our goal is to empower new application development using 3D slicer components in multiple contexts, thus accelerating the creation and translation of novel medical imaging solutions for public health. Aim 1: building a unified 3D slicer foundation. We will rearchitect 3D slicer's powerful features into logical building block packages, using novel technology to make these usable in cloud, workstation, and browser applications. This will simplify development of medical software, enabling creation of new tools that can be flexibly deployed without the duplication of effort currently required to recode the same features in multiple languages. Aim 2: applying new technology to cancer research. We will demonstrate these improved building blocks by implementing cross-platform brain cancer image analysis software. We will show that this approach allows analysis of patient data and testing of AI tools directly in web browsers or on traditional computers using the same code base, enabling developers to more effectively bring new cancer solutions to clinicians and patients. Aim 3: engaging and supporting the cancer image computing community. We will focus our outreach, including workshops and online forums, on helping the community modernize their work by adopting the newly organized 3D slicer building blocks. By inviting wide participation, creating tailored L earning materials around this approach, and soliciting feedback, we will ensure the software meets community requirements. Our team, the core developers of 3D slicer with decades of experience, is uniquely positioned to achieve these goals. We are committed to advancing medical imaging solutions for cancer, directly supporting public health by improving diagnostics and treatments.