Decoding the JAK-STAT axis in colorectal cancer with AI-HOPE-JAK-STAT: A conversational artificial intelligence approach to clinical-genomic integration

Abstract

Background/ObjectiveThe Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling pathway is a critical mediator of immune regulation, inflammation, and cancer progression. Although implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) pathogenesis, its molecular heterogeneity and clinical significance remain insufficiently characterized--particularly within early-onset CRC (EOCRC) and across diverse treatment and demographic contexts. We present AI-HOPE-JAK-STAT, a novel conversational artificial intelligence platform built to enable real-time, natural language-driven exploration of JAK/STAT pathway alterations in CRC. The platform integrates clinical, genomic, and treatment data to support dynamic, hypothesis-generating analyses for precision oncology. MethodsAI-HOPE-JAK-STAT combines large language models (LLMs), a natural language-to-code engine, and harmonized public CRC datasets from cBioPortal. Users define analytical queries in plain English, which are translated into executable code for cohort selection, survival analysis, odds ratio testing, and mutation profiling. To validate the platform, we replicated known associations involving JAK1, JAK3, and STAT3 mutations. Additional exploratory analyses examined age, treatment exposure, tumor stage, and anatomical site. ResultsThe platform recapitulated established trends, including improved survival among EOCRC patients with JAK/STAT pathway alterations. In FOLFOX-treated CRC cohorts, JAK/STAT-altered tumors were associated with significantly enhanced overall survival (p < 0.0001). Stratification by age revealed survival advantages in younger (age <50) patients with JAK/STAT mutations (p = 0.0379). STAT5B mutations were enriched in colon adenocarcinoma and correlated with better outcomes (p = 0.0000). Conversely, JAK1 mutations in microsatellite-stable tumors did not affect survival, emphasizing the value of molecular context. Finally, JAK3-mutated tumors diagnosed at Stage I-III showed superior survival compared to Stage IV cases (p = 0.00001), reinforcing stage as a dominant clinical determinant. ConclusionAI-HOPE-JAK-STAT establishes a new standard for pathway-level interrogation in CRC by empowering users to generate and test clinically meaningful hypotheses without coding expertise. This system enhances access to precision oncology analyses and supports scalable, real-time discovery of survival trends, mutational associations, and treatment-response patterns across stratified patient cohorts.