Patricia Kropf works as the Director of the Acute Leukemia Program at Novant Health Cancer Center. In the following article, Trish Kropf discusses how Artificial Intelligence and nanotechnology is emerging with the field of cancer research.
Glioblastoma is considered the most common type of malignant brain cancer — and the deadliest.
The tumors infiltrate the tissue of the brain so well and so erratically that surgery can be extremely challenging. Just 17% of those receiving a glioblastoma diagnosis survive two years.
One new artificial intelligence tool may help.
Patricia Kropf explains that a Cryosection Histopathology Assessment and Review Machine (CHARM) can pinpoint the genetic profile of a glioma tumor while reviewing medical images. That information is used when surgeons plan on how much tissue should be removed if there’s potential to use cancer-fighting drugs through wafer implantation and much more.
Getting such information rapidly has the potential to reduce the number of required surgeries and improve treatment outcomes.
Artificial intelligence holds eye-opening promise in treating cancer, but it’s far from the only modern tool that’s aiding vital cancer research. Mere years ago, a tool like CHARM was unimaginable. Soon, it may become a standard part of cancer diagnosis and treatment around the world, reports Trish Kropf.
21st Century Fight
Patricia Kropf says that there have been nearly 300 years of significant discoveries in the brutal fight against cancer. In 1863, inflammation was first linked to cancer. The first radical mastectomy was performed in 1882 and using radium in treatments launched just years after Pierre and Marie Curie discovered the radioactive element.
Modern times have brought about drugs that lower prostate cancer risks by 25% and the first (and so far, only) vaccine used in human cancer treatment, sipuleucel-T, which is created using one’s own immune system cells.
Patricia Kropf explains that more effective treatments and outcomes have been tied to precision medicine when a treatment plan is tailor-made for each patient and their unique health needs. Artificial intelligence is changing the game by using classification algorithms and analyzing patterns to increase the level of treatment accuracy.
Nanomedicine is also being informed by AI. Nanotechnology allows for highly accurate predictions of drug efficacy and how drugs will interact with a specific immune system.
Trish Kropf says that while chemotherapy, surgery and radiation remain the only treatment plans for cancer, nanotechnology use can help chemotherapy find pre-selected cancer cells more directly and guide tumor resection surgery. Other ground-breaking cancer technologies include:
CRISPR Revolution
With a CRISPR tool, the genetic code of living cells can be changed in an instant, allowing surgeons to either edit DNA parts in cells, eliminate DNA data entirely or insert new DNA into cancer cells. The doctors behind the tool won a 2020 Nobel Prize in 2020, and CRISPR is now being used in several clinical trials that center on cancer treatment made entirely possible by CRISPR.
CAR-T
Patricia Kropf explains that, first approved in 2018, CAR-T cell therapy continues to improve the lifespan of cancer patients. In this potent therapy approach, the patient’s own immune T-cells are removed, genetically engineered and then reintroduced to target certain types of cancer antigens.
Photodynamic Therapy
Commonly known as PDT, photodynamic therapy utilizes a drug activated by light to kill cancerous cells in two quick sessions. First, the drugs are applied to the skin and a second session exposes cancer to a light that improves the efficiency of eliminating the cells, leading to a chemical reaction that can also kill more cells over shorter periods of time. PDT is often used in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiation.
Virtual Reality
In a study published by the Journal of Cellular Physiology, virtual reality (VR) used by patients led to mood boosts as they underwent chemotherapy for breast cancer. By exposing patients to such calming images as forests or animals, patients display less fatigue and anxiety during the treatment than what was found in those not using VR.
Patricia Kropf says that currently, VR is seen as a viable palliative treatment for cancer patients, but also a route that may improve life quality and survival rates.
Cryo-EM
High-resolution images of unimaginably tiny molecules are easily captured through cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), providing researchers with a better understanding of how molecules behave in order to further refine cancer treatments.
Through cryo-EM, scientists can explore how cancer cells interact with certain therapies, how they grow and how they are able to survive. Recent research using cryo-EM technology provides scientists with a clear picture of how myeloid leukemia drugs interact with cell ribosomes.
