Towards personalised medicine: Artificial Intelligence in cancer

Developed by scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and the University of Edinburgh, UK, REVOLVER (Repeated Evolution of Cancer) is a machine learning technique with the ability to identify patterns in DNA mutation within cancers and forecast future genetic changes. The new method, which could be used to shape more effective treatments, is just one example of the application of Artificial Intelligence in cancer research and care, which could one day transform the way cancer is diagnosed, managed and treated. To find out more about these possibilities, Health Europa spoke to Dr Andrea Sottoriva, a team leader in evolutionary genomics and modelling at ICR and the REVOLVER study lead. Here, he discusses how the new technique can be used to estimate the trajectory of tumour development and what remains to be discovered about the way machines learn. We started by analysing genetic data from patient tumours.