Will AI help cure cancer?

Hey there, AI fans

Today’s newsletter will be short and without my usual barrage of memes.

My grandmother died of cancer (and age) - so I am mostly offline this week.

However, as you may have noticed, I have been announcing my new AI and healthcare newsletter “Cancer Innovations,” in the last two issues of this newsletter.

Since that newsletter was mostly ready before I had to go back to Norway, instead of leaving with you nothing this week, I will simply share the same four stories I shared in the first edition of the Cancer Innovations Newsletter.

Four amazing AI developments in Cancer discovery

These four stories were shared in this week's Cancer Innovations. If you want to check it out, you can subscribe here:

AI detects melanoma (skin cancer) with 100% accuracy

A study assessed 22,356 patients with suspected skin cancers, and the AI software detected 100% of the cases of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. It also correctly detected 99.5% of all skin cancers and 92.5% of pre-cancerous lesions. Last week, this study was presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2023 in Berlin.

Link to press release: EADV Congress
News coverage: New York Post

AI-powered mammograms

Dr. Kathy Schilling and her Lynn Women's Health & Wellness Institute team are pioneering breakthroughs in breast cancer detection. With the aid of AI-powered mammograms, they've achieved a 23% increase in detection rates, identifying cancers as minuscule as 3-6 millimeters. This early detection transforms patient care, resulting in less aggressive treatments, reduced mastectomies, smaller lumpectomies, and diminished need for radiation and chemotherapy.

Link to article: MedicalXpress

AI can determine where cancer arose

MIT and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers have created a machine learning model, OncoNPC, to identify the origins of mysterious cancers. By analyzing 400 genes, it can pinpoint the source of previously untraceable tumors, accurately classifying 40% of them. This doubles the patients eligible for targeted treatments. The model's predictions align with survival rates and treatment outcomes, promising advancements in personalized cancer care.

Link to article: MIT News

AI for Health Institute (AIHealth)

While this last section of today is not exclusively related to cancer, I decided to include it for two reasons: 1) to showcase the developments that are happening in AI and Healthcare in academics, and 2) maybe someone is reading this either want to study medicine or have children who want to study medicine and technology and want to be in the forefront of new developments.

The McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis has launched the AI for Health Institute to design data-driven tools to characterize complex diseases, support clinical decisions, and drive precision health. AI for Health Institute intends to establish Washinton University as a leader in AI for health and wants to grow collaborative teams across engineering and health and build an organization and infrastructure for large research initiatives.

Link to article: Newsroom Washington University in St. Louis

That’s all I had for you today!

I will be back to normal scheduling next week!

AI’ll be back!

- Thomas