Researchers are now using artificial intelligence to help tailor cancer treatments and uncover overlooked uses for existing medicines.
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Researchers → use → medicines
Other systems can search microscopic images or identify subtle biological signals that people could easily miss.
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people → search → that
Some of these technologies have already helped patients.
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Some → help → patients
Others remain in clinical trials or research labs, so we need to be careful about separating promising science from treatments you can actually receive today.
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you → remain → treatments
Still, what researchers are accomplishing would have been difficult to imagine a few years ago.
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accomplishing → accomplish → what
Here's where AI is already changing medicine and what you should know before trusting it with your health.
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you → change → health
Join our upcoming CyberGuy LIVE class: Get Better Healthcare With AI
In this free live online class, Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson will show you five practical ways AI can help you take a more active role in your healthcare.
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you → join → healthcare
You’ll learn how to organize your health history, remember important appointment details, understand complicated medical information, research prescriptions and prepare questions for your next doctor’s visit.
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You → learn → visit
No technical experience is needed.
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experience → need → ?
Register for free now at CyberGuyLive.com
AI helps personalize an experimental melanoma treatment
One of the biggest recent developments comes from Moderna and Merck.
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One → register → Moderna
On Aug. 19, the companies announced positive topline results from a Phase 3 melanoma trial.
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companies → announce → trial
The study tested intismeran autogene, also known as V940 or mRNA-4157, alongside Keytruda.
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study → test → Keytruda
The trial enrolled 1,137 people with high-risk melanoma that surgeons had completely removed.
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surgeons → enrol → that
The combination met its primary endpoint for recurrence-free survival.
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combination → meet → survival
It also met a key secondary endpoint measuring distant metastasis-free survival.
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It → meet → survival
Merck and Moderna said this was the first positive Phase 3 readout for an individualized neoantigen therapy.
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this → say → therapy
It was also the first positive Phase 3 result for an mRNA-based cancer therapy.
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It → base → therapy
That sounds complicated, but the basic idea is fascinating.
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idea → sound → ?
Researchers start with a sample of a patient's tumor.
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Researchers → start → tumor
They analyze its unique mutations and use an algorithm to select targets that may help the immune system recognize the cancer.
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system → analyze → cancer
The resulting individualized therapy can encode up to 34 neoantigens.
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therapy → result → neoantigens
Moderna has also said the V940 program uses integrated AI algorithms during the development process.
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program → say → process
The company then creates an mRNA treatment based on the selected targets.
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company → create → targets
You may have seen this approach called a personalized cancer vaccine.
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You → see → approach
Moderna and Merck currently describe intismeran as an individualized neoantigen therapy.
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Moderna → describe → therapy
The goal is to train the immune system to recognize characteristics unique to that patient's cancer.
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system → train → cancer
What the melanoma results actually tell us
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tell → tell → us
Merck and Moderna have announced only topline results from the Phase 3 trial so far.
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Merck → announce → trial
The companies plan to present the full findings at an international medical meeting and share them with regulators.
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companies → plan → regulators
The study also continues to track overall survival.
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study → continue → survival
Earlier results offer additional context.
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results → offer → context
In a smaller Phase 2b study with longer follow-up, intismeran plus Keytruda reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 49% compared with Keytruda alone.
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intismeran → reduce → Keytruda
It also reduced the risk of distant metastasis or death by 59%.
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It → reduce → %
Those earlier results came from a much smaller patient group.
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results → come → group
That makes the larger Phase 3 trial an important step forward.
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trial → make → ?
Still, intismeran remains investigational.
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intismeran → remain → ?
The FDA has not approved intismeran as a melanoma treatment.
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FDA → approve → treatment
AI can search existing drugs for completely new uses
Developing a new medicine can take years.
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Developing → search → years
Another group of researchers is asking a different question: What if a useful treatment already exists?
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treatment → ask → question
Dr. David Fajgenbaum co-
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Fajgenbaum → co → ?
…and 122 more, not listed.
The Aporia
