Deep learning enables scientists to identify cancer cells in blood in milliseconds

Researchers at UCLA and NantWorks have developed an artificial intelligence-powered device that detects cancer cells in a few milliseconds -- hundreds of times faster than previous methods. With that speed, the invention could make it possible to extract cancer cells from blood immediately after they are detected, which could in turn help prevent the disease from spreading in the body. A paper about the advance was published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports. The approach relies on two core technologies: deep learning and photonic time stretch. Deep learning is a type of machine learning, an artificial intelligence technique in which algorithms are "trained" to perform tasks using large volumes of data.