Cancer of the brain can be fought by computers. They are making cancer cells to behave like body’s immune system against cancer. The type of tumor in the brain that the report is about is glioblastoma. This tumor is the most common and deadliest form of brain cancer in adults, with less than 10% of patients living for five years after diagnosis.
Doctors have used immunotherapy for glioblastoma treatment without much success. Some problems are that immune cells do not reach tumors in brains easily. A new method has been proposed by researchers from the University of Southern California. The researchers are transforming malignant neurons into effective dendritic cells through artificial intelligence.
Dendritic cells are significant due to their ability to identify neoplastic tissue and instruct other antibodies through signaling to kill these tissues. If dendritic cells were made from neoplastic tissue, then it means that one would be able to fight her own cancer from within herself.
Using AI, they scrutinized thousands of genes, selecting those that could turn normal glioblastoma cells into dendritic cells. It was almost impossible without Al because there are many genes involved.
This groundbreaking study leverages the power of AI to transform glioblastoma cells into immune-activating cells, marking a significant advancement in cancer immunotherapy. By turnng the cancer’s own cells against it, we are paving the way for more effective treatments and offering new hope to patients battling this and many other aggressive cancers.
David Tran, MD, PhD, study’s lead author, associate professor of neurological surgery and neurology and division chief of neuro-oncology at the Keck School of Medicine
This idea was tested on mice with glioblastoma by scientists from this team. Combining with other therapies, it significantly increased chances for survival as compared to untreated animals where a 75% increase in survival rates was observed.
In addition, AI led them to identifying genes which might convert human glioblastoma cells into patients’ similar dendritic-like form using certain viral vectors producing harmless carrier organisms located during future periods.
According to lead researcher Dr Tran David this approach might help treat all types of cancers including GBMs better than any existing methods.He added that artificial intelligence hastens their research and enables them find results faster.
For now they need further testing along the line such as animal experiments needed before trying it out on real glioblastoma patients maybe only after several years later when everything will go accordingly.
Hence, this research brings new hope to patients suffering from glioblastoma and demonstrates how artificial intelligence can be used to solve difficult health problems in innovative ways.
