Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a valuable tool for solving complex societal problems and, although it is a new industry, its impact is already being felt in key areas of the life sciences sector.
AI models in healthcare are rapidly advancing beyond basic tasks such as medical transcription and administrative streamlining; many systems can now efficiently analyze extensive genetic data.
By harnessing the ability of AI models to identify patterns and make predictions, healthcare professionals can implement more effective and personalized treatments and develop precision tests to detect diseases earlier.
At this year’s Collision event, held in Toronto from June 18-20, Wesley Chan, co-founder and managing partner of venture capital firm FPV Ventures, shared his insights on the role of AI in healthcare with Fox Business correspondent Susan Li.
Chan said that while the life sciences market has been somewhat overlooked in the AI boom so far, his company predicts it will benefit greatly from AI technology over the next five to 10 years.
“We’re in a lot of life sciences companies,” he said of FPV Ventures. “A lot of them are using AI to accelerate drug discovery, to validate their thesis or to test some of their hypotheses without having to go deeper.”
Guardant uses liquid biopsy tests to look for signs of cancer
Liquid biopsies, a non-invasive blood test, have shown great promise in detecting cancer, particularly when it comes to monitoring ongoing treatment and detecting cancer recurrence.
Speaking on Collision, Dr. Craig Eagle, chief medical officer of large-cap biotech company Guardant Health (NASDAQ:GH), presented SHIELD, a blood test developed by his company to detect colorectal cancer.
“One of the challenges in oncology is that the cause of the disease is a molecular abnormality, often centered around DNA. This abnormality can be purely hereditary or environmental, but for most people it lies somewhere in between,” he told the audience at the conference.
Standard cancer diagnosis procedures typically involve taking a tissue sample, which Dr. Eagle said is challenging when the suspected cancer is located deep in the body.
“So we are developing blood tests. A simple tube of blood, like a cholesterol test or a blood sugar test for diabetes,” he said on stage at the event, noting that during cell growth and turnover, some cancer cells are released into the bloodstream. Liquid biopsy is a cancer detection method that analyzes these released cells to look for cancer signals in the bloodstream. Blood tests can also help doctors monitor the progression and changes of the cancer, which can help them develop the best treatment plan for each patient.
“You can’t treat or manage cancer or any disease without understanding it. By understanding the underlying molecular causes of cancer, we can gain deeper insights and make informed decisions,” said Dr. Eagle. “A simple liquid biopsy test can provide the information you need at the molecular level.”
How were liquid biopsy tests first developed?
One of the first liquid biopsy tests was the prostate specific antigen testwhich was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1986. It was initially used only to monitor already diagnosed cancers, but in 1994, doctors began using it alongside digital rectal exams to detect signs of cancer in men over 50.
Later, researchers developed liquid biopsy tests that looked for two types of biomarkers in blood samples: circulating tumor cells (CTC), which have broken away from the primary tumor and entered the bloodstream, and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), smaller fragments that enter the bloodstream when Cancer cells die and break down.
Continued efforts have been devoted to developing more comprehensive liquid biopsy tests. 1999 study The detection of abnormal p16 methylation in the blood of liver cancer patients helped to develop the concept that biomarkers more specific to certain types of cancer could be detected in the blood. The completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 helped to further develop comprehensive cancer detection methods, including liquid biopsy tests.
The Cancer Genome Atlas was launched in 2006. It maps genomic changes in cancer and provides information about its molecular basis, creating a clearer picture of cancer-specific biomarkers. Technologies like next generation sequencing And microfluidic technologies were developed simultaneously, improving the sensitivity of liquid biopsy tests by enabling the detection of rare cancer biomarkers. These new technologies have also reduced costs and improved throughput.
Additionally, since the early 2000s, the FDA has granted approval to multiple technologies Specifically designed to capture and enumerate CTCs. Prior to FDA approval of CellSearch tumor detection technology for metastatic breast cancer in 2004, CTC detection was challenging due to the rarity of these cells in the bloodstream. The development of CellSearch technology has revolutionized CTC detection by providing a non-invasive and highly sensitive approach.
In addition, CellSearch technology helped researchers gain insights into genomic alterations and signaling pathways that drive tumor growth, which can be used to tailor treatments to target specific molecular vulnerabilities.
Harnessing AI for Better Cancer Detection
Guardant is one of the few companies offering FDA-approved liquid biopsy companion diagnostic tests in the U.S. market, and Dr. Eagle made a compelling case for this solution. Widespread adoption of liquid biopsies in oncology.
He stressed that liquid biopsy tests offer a more efficient and accessible way to detect cancer compared to traditional screening methods. They are non-invasive and can easily be administered during other standard blood tests, eliminating the need for additional appointments or specialized equipment.
Dr. Eagle also noted that the convenience and simplicity of regular checkups would likely encourage more patients to participate, as they can be seamlessly integrated into their ongoing health care routines.
Additionally, he noted that traditional cancer screenings can pose accessibility issues for patients due to various barriers, such as geographic constraints, financial limitations or other factors. These barriers can result in extended waiting times or limited access to procedures such as colonoscopies, stool or tissue sample collection and imaging exams. Additionally, liquid biopsy tests provide results more quickly than other methods. At the same time, the simplicity of the tests, combined with their ability to detect multiple types of cancer, reduces their overall cost.
Liquid biopsies too have the potential to help researchers recognize signs of other diseases. Dr. Eagle explained that DNA damage is used as a measure to assess an individual’s risk of developing a disease.
Rather than focusing solely on the DNA sequence itself, epigenetics – the study of how genes are expressed and regulated – can help researchers understand the role of gene expression in cancer development and progression, as well as provide additional insights into a person’s health.
“This programming now becomes a massive database that we can consult during a liquid biopsy,” Dr. Eagle said.
This is where AI becomes crucial. He stressed that AI analysis will accelerate over the next five to ten years and that this technology will be essential for the successful analysis of huge data sequences. He believes that the field of oncology will evolve rapidly from its current state.
“We’re currently running trials in smokers looking to detect lung cancer from a blood test, and we’re trying to see if we can overcome that challenge. We’re also looking at many other cancers, whether it’s lung cancer in non-smokers, liver cancer, kidney cancer, breast cancer, etc. They’ll all be detected from a blood test.”
What investors think
Integrating AI with innovative technologies like liquid biopsies holds immense potential to revolutionize disease detection, treatment, and monitoring. These advances could pave the way for a future where personalized and preventative medicine becomes the norm.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Technology for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, have no direct investment interest in any of the companies mentioned in this article.
Articles from your site
Related articles on the web
