Advancing cancer research through artificial intelligence

The sequencing of 20,000 human genes has produced an immense amount of data that must now be deciphered. Sébastien Lemieux, a bioinformatics specialist at Université de Montréal's Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, has begun doing so to advance cancer research. "Artificial intelligence helps us analyze data," he said in an interview. Lemieux is using samples taken from 482 patients with a specific form of cancer – acute myeloid leukemia – to try to pin down the genetic profile of cancer cells. "We're still a long way from developing a clinical application for the tools we're building, which combine artificial intelligence with genetics, but we hope to better understand the disease's genetic makeup," he explained.