OncoGAT wins Rep. Morgan Luttrell’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Texas’s Eighth District

When asked what inspired the creation of OncoGAT, Srikar Karri said, “My inspiration came from witnessing the devastating impact of cancer in Harris County, where over 2,295 women are diagnosed with breast cancer annually—the highest number in Texas. What truly drove me to action was learning that, despite cancer being genetically unique to each patient, 40% receive treatments that ultimately fail because medicine still relies on one-size-fits-all approaches. This statistic wasn’t just a number to me—it represented thousands of women in my community who deserved better.

“As I delved deeper into precision oncology research, I discovered that oncologists have access to six rich molecular data types (mutations, mRNA expression, copy number alterations, methylation patterns, gene panels, and clinical data) comprising over 27,000 features, yet lack effective computational tools to integrate this information for personalized treatment decisions. I realized that the convergence of my machine learning expertise and this critical healthcare gap presented an opportunity to make a real difference.

“The moment I understood that graph attention networks could create patient similarity graphs—connecting patients with similar cancer molecular patterns to identify optimal treatments—I knew I had found the technical approach that could revolutionize precision medicine. I wanted to ensure that from day one of diagnosis, every patient in Harris County and beyond would have access to the most advanced, personalized treatment plan based on their unique cancer biology, not outdated statistical averages. OncoGAT represents my commitment to using AI and technology to win the fight against cancer in my community.”