Using the CURATE.AI artificial intelligence (AI) platform, a research team led by the National University of Singapore (NUS) managed to halt the progression of advanced prostate cancer in a patient by delivering optimal doses of medication.
In a clinical study published in the journal Advanced Therapeutics, the researchers deployed the CURATE.AI to tailor precise dosages of the investigational drug ZEN-3694 and enzalutamide, thereby allowing the patient to resume a completely normal lifestyle.
In oncology, changing drug regimens is usually done merely to reduce toxicity, yet the research team succeeded in leveraging the AI system to increase their effectiveness by closely monitoring the patient’s clinical profile over time.
“The unique ability for CURATE.AI to rapidly identify the drug doses that result in the best possible treatment outcomes allows for actionable, and perpetually optimised personalised medicine,” said lead author on the study Professor Dean Ho, Director of the Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology.
One of the key weaknesses of combination therapy – a treatment modality where several drugs are used synergistically – is large, fixed dosages, given to patients with little regard for their individual needs.
Researchers led by the National University of Singapore have recently reported a veritable breakthrough in cancer treatment. Image credit: smuconlaw via flickr.com, CC BY-SA 2.0.
To overcome that, the research team developed the CURATE.AI platform, which monitors such medical data as tumour sizes and levels of cancer biomarkers in the blood to achieve the best possible outcome at any given point in time.
“No two patients’ profiles are alike, and as a patient’s body and the cancer itself evolve during treatment, the CURATE.AI profile evolves as well, enabling the clinical and engineering teams to optimise care for the entire duration of treatment, an unprecedented advance for combination therapy,” explained Professor Ho.
The patient was treated for a year (with treatment still ongoing) and monitored using assessments of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) and CT scans. Thanks to the AI platform, PSA levels have been substantially reduced, and CT scans have revealed that progression of the tumours was successfully halted.
Several additional studies are already underway, as the research team aims to roll out the platform in a clinical setting for the prevention of transplant rejection, adult and paediatric cancers, cardiovascular medicine, infectious diseases, and many other applications.
Source: news.nus.edu.sg.