It’s almost amusing how far Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come in the hearts and minds of the public. There is certainly still plenty of consternation about AI in some circles. And that is absolutely legitimate.
But this once-peculiar thing called Artificial Intelligence is now a budding leader in the cancer treatment space and before long it will be used in every cancer hospital on this planet.
One of the best things about AI that hasn’t gotten a lot of press, yet, is the fact that these remarkable AI tools they are coming up with will ultimately make cancer diagnosis and treatment not only easier, but far less expensive.
It’s all about speed and accuracy. Both will be fortified enormously as we continue to hone these new “machines.” Soon, you will find your cancer much earlier, and you will have a far better idea of which treatment will work best for you. All because of AI.
This week I chose to write about what is clearly the most active and forward-thinking AI company on the planet. It’s called Paige. The company is based in New York. But this company is undoubtedly getting calls and emails from scientists worldwide.
And what they are doing, with the help of Microsoft and Sloan Kettering, is changing the face of medicine. Oncology will never be the same. It will in fact improve enormously.
AI Can Accurately Predict a Patient’s Response to Therapies
Our indefatigable writer Clark Jones, PhD, regularly comes through with smart but easy-to-digest takes on what could be difficult assignments for a lesser scribe.
He’s done it again. And this one is about, surprise: AI.
Jones introduces a significant new study from Scott Lippmann, a Medical Oncologist and Professor of Medicine, who I have known for many years. Scott works at UCSD, and I have been treated for cancer three times at UCSD.
Lippman and his team at UC San Diego School of Medicine have shown promising results in the application of deep learning AI.
In their new paper published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology titled “Deep Learning Artificial Intelligence Predicts Homologous Recombination Deficiency and Platinum Response from Histologic Slides,” Lippmann and his team demonstrate that AI can accurately predict a patient’s response to platinum-based therapies based on histologic slides.
“This is a generational precision oncology breakthrough, with immediate impact in drug development, clinical trial designs, and moving rapidly to standard precision oncology workflows. I’ve been doing this for 35+ years [at MD Anderson and UCSD], and have not seen a clinically-transformative advance like this since the onset of precision oncology in the 1990’s,” said Lippman in the piece.
As we have written about at length in this magazine, AI is indeed making cancer a much more inclusive playing field for rare patient populations and underserved communities.
AI has the ability to sift through vast amounts of genomic data to identify specific mutations in advanced cancers that may respond well to first-line treatments, Jones writes.
This is crucial for advanced cancer patients, as time is of the essence, and waiting weeks for diagnostic data to come back can significantly impact the success of therapy.
Cancer Stem Cells
Meanwhile, Sevginur Akdaş, PhD, another of our fine writers, takes a somewhat deep but accessible look at cancer stem cells which, as Sevginur says, are complicated and dangerous.
Cancer is a major public health problem worldwide, and it has been predicted that there will be 26 million new cases by 2030. The disease presents numerous challenges, not the least of which are resistance to treatment and its ability to spread to other tissues.
The main reason for these challenges is the presence of cancer stem cells, which have been known for many years. But as she says, that’s not the whole story—they also communicate and spread using small particles called “extracellular vesicles.”
Therefore, she writes, for effective therapy, targeting this dangerous duo stands as a promising approach in the cancer field.
It’s a good read and it is vitally important that we understand cancer stem cells. I thought I knew a lot about cancer stem cells. I learned a lot from this piece.
What’s New This Week:
Imagine The Possibilities – Paige’s Newest Breakthrough
Revolutionizing Cancer Care Through Artificial Intelligence: Advancing Inclusivity and Accessibility
Why Does Cancer Resist and Spread?
