How are AI and Advanced HealthTech Revolutionizing Cancer Care?

It is no longer surprising that increased technological penetration and digital innovation are driving effective care delivery, improved patient outcomes, increased clinical productivity, and non-clinical efficiency. One of the most significant areas where technology has had a significant impact is cancer care and treatment.?

For instance, mutations are frequently at the heart of new cancer therapies; however, they can vary greatly between tumours. Hence, scientists are working on therapeutic vaccines tailored to each individual tumour. The vaccines are administered in the form of messenger RNA, a molecule that instructs cells to produce a specific protein, a cancer antigen that primes the immune system against the tumour.

Here is a list of advanced technologies that are accelerating cancer research, including CRISPR, artificial intelligence, telehealth, the Infinium Assay, cryo-electron microscopy, and robotic surgery.

What Role Does CRISPR Play in Cancer Treatment?

Who would have thought that changing the genetic code of living cells could be done so quickly and easily? CRISPR, a revolutionary gene-editing tool that works like a pair of scissors to delete, insert, or edit specific bits of DNA inside cells, has made this possible. The CRISPR-Cas9 system is said to be faster, cheaper, more accurate, and more efficient than other methods of genome editing. Despite its limitations and the ongoing debate over the ethics of gene editing, CRISPR is a powerful tool with the potential to make significant advances in cancer research.

Can AI Aid in Seeing Cancer in New Lights?

What if a computer simulation could create a virtual model to help physicians explore different treatments and predict possible outcomes before prescribing personalised care options? Artificial intelligence is already being used to detect cancer earlier and more precisely. According to the American Cancer Society, a high percentage of mammograms produce false results, resulting in one out of every two healthy women being diagnosed with cancer. AI is claimed to make mammogram review and translation 30 times faster and with 99 percent accuracy, reducing the need for unnecessary biopsies.

Others use it to analyze imaging data and electronic health records in order to tailor radiation doses for patients. AI is even being used to quickly analyze population-based cancer data and predict the likelihood of specific cancers.??

Telehealth for Cancer Treatment

Even during a pandemic, providing cancer care and conducting clinical trials are essential. Many healthcare organizations have successfully implemented or expanded telehealth practices in order to provide cancer treatment and care to patients remotely. Through remote health monitoring, video visits, and even in-home chemotherapy, telehealth helps to maximize safety and convenience for both patients and healthcare providers. It also facilitates access to clinical trials and cancer care for a broader range of patients across a wider geographical area.

Cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM) in Cancer Research

Can you imagine a microscope that can capture high-resolution images better than the iPhone? Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) captures images of molecules ten-thousandths the width of a human hair at resolutions previously unheard of. Researchers can inspect the quality of thousands of cryo-EM images before reconstructing 3D images of molecules to study how they behave. In the case of cancer, this means learning more about how cancer cells survive, grow, and interact with therapies and other cells.

Infinium Assay for Cancer care

With a manual or automated workflow, the Infinium assay offers high levels of multiplexing for genome-wide and targeted genotyping applications.The Illumina Infinium Assay is a process and set of tools for analyzing millions of single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, which are the most common type of genetic variation. SNPs can aid in the mapping of cancer-causing genes and provide insight into cancer risk, progression, and development. The assay is now used in a variety of applications, including analyzing a plant's genome to determine what factors influence insect and drought resistance.

Robotic Surgery for cancer treatment??

Most doctors use robotic surgery for cancer patients who need surgery as part of their treatment. When compared to traditional surgery, robotic surgery helps to remove difficult-to-reach tumours, shorten surgery times, and reduce side effects for patients.?

Robotic surgery does not imply that a robot performs the procedure, but surgeons direct the procedure using robotic tools. Robotic surgery systems employ one or more robotic arms, which surgeons control remotely and precisely via a console located nearby.?

Robotic surgical devices are known to have greater dexterity and range of motion than humans when performing traditional laparoscopic, or minimally invasive, surgery. This enables surgeons to operate on difficult-to-reach areas of the body and to get a closer look at difficult-to-see areas. Robotic surgery causes less blood loss and pain, and in the case of a prostatectomy, a patient could be discharged the same day.?

With advances in cancer detection, visualization, understanding, and treatment, what once seemed like a sci-fi movie is now a reality. Continued exploration and application of these technologies may pave the way for faster progress against this disease.