IBM's Watson may provide a shortcut to treating cancer

Here's a question IBM supercomputer Watson never got to ask on "Jeopardy": What is a cure for cancer? Watson, best known for beating champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter on the game show, will get its chance as it aids scientists using analysis of gene structures to figure out the cause of and potential cures for different strains of cancer. IBM unveiled Watson for Genomics, specifically designed for this task, at the National Cancer Moonshot Summit on Wednesday. The addition of Watson's brain power, which can understand questions in natural language and not just the computer language of ones and zeros, could significantly accelerate cancer treatment. Typically, finding the appropriate treatment for a specific patient means sequencing his or her genome -- the complete DNA structure packed into a single cell -- finding mutations and then getting a team of seasoned doctors in a room to decide the best options.