How AI is helping treat diseases effectively
Medical science has come a long way in the past few decades. Treatments have improved, and understanding of bodily systems and structures has progressed. But actually seeing inside the body of a living human presents a challenge. While there are scans, stains, fibre optics and such, these provide limited information about internal structures as a whole – limits which researchers and projects relying on R & D tax credit for cost recuperation are trying to overcome.
How AI is helping
A particularly difficult thing to observe is the way cells fight disease. Without knowing how cells are altered by specific diseases, it’s extremely hard to know how to treat them effectively. Faced with this problem, researchers at the Allen Institute employed artificial intelligence to create a complete 3D model of a human cell. The model is of a cell called a human induced pluripotent stem cell, and shows how each component and structure within the cell fits and works with those around it.
The researchers scanned thousands of these organic cells using an open source online tool in order to train the AI that generated the model. With the information inputted, the AI could predict where each internal component of the cell is most likely to be found and its place and function within the cell as a whole. So long as an image from a microscope is provided, the program could predict the location of each cell component.
Changes made by disease
The AI was trained to recognise structures that even experts are unable to see. Using the model created, doctors and scientists have the opportunity to look at the effects of cancer and other diseases on individual cells. This means they can start to build a more complete picture of how each different component of a cell is affected and how its function or structure may change as a result of disease. That, in turn, will suggest ways for doctors to provide treatment that’s tailored to specific diseases.
Improving general healthcare
The object of the team at Allen Institute is to democratise medical research, enabling healthcare to improve in underserved areas. The researchers are currently trying to create models of more cells, providing an extensive database to medical scientists over the coming months.
This database will be available on the Allen Institute website and can be used by other professionals to help them with their own research. Organisations in the UK that are undertaking projects to improve medicine and healthcare can use this tool alongside grant funding or R&D tax credit claims to offset some of the cost involved with their work.
Find out more
If you think your organisation’s work could be eligible for tax relief, download our guide to have R&D tax credits explained in more detail. Alternatively, if your project is eligible for a claim, take a look at our RD tax calculatorfor an estimate of what you could recoup.
