AI finds patterns of mutations and survival in tumor images

Researchers at EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, UK, and collaborators have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that uses computer vision to analyse tissue samples from cancer patients. They have shown that the algorithm can distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissues, and can also identify patterns of more than 160 DNA and thousands of RNA changes in tumours. The study, published today in Nature Cancer, highlights the potential of AI for improving cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Cancer diagnosis and prognosis are largely based on two main approaches. In one, histopathologists examine the appearance of cancer tissue under the microscope.