There’s nothing quite as soul-destroying as receiving news that you or a loved one has got cancer. With many variations of cancer, each one of them can come with its own set of challenges and life expectancies depending on when it’s caught and what stage it may be at.
B-ALL, short for B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, is a condition that affects both children and adults. It seems to be showing up in a lot of tech conversations nowadays due to the convergence of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and advanced data analytics in finding new treatments.
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What is B-ALL?
This condition is where the bone marrow is making too many abnormal B-cells (leukemia cells or ‘blasts’). These abnormal cells crowd out healthy blood cells, and that leads to low white blood cell counts, reduced platelets, and anemia.
As a result, the body finds it difficult to fight infections. Common symptoms of this condition include rapid-onset fatigue, weakness, fever, and potentially swelling of organs like the liver or spleen.
While historically, such a diagnosis has proved fatal, advancements in treatment will mean that 90% of pediatric patients and 40% of adults will now recover.
Why it’s in Tech Conversations
Nowadays, B-ALL has found its way into tech conversations due to the intersection that has occurred between cancer research and technology. Thankfully, both areas are advancing in the hopes that it saves more lives and help reduce cancer diagnoses in general. That’s the ultimate goal, eradicating cancer for good.
Some areas in which B-ALL finds itself in tech conversation include:
CAR-T and Gene Therapy
Scientists are constantly refining their algorithms and genetic techniques to help specifically target antigens by engineering T-cells to combat B-ALL.
This is called CAR-T Cell Therapy Engineering, a ‘living drug’ approach that is heavily reliant on bioengineering.
AI/Computer-Aided Diagnosis
Machine learning systems are being developed in order to analyze microscopic blood images in order to develop faster and more accurate diagnoses for B-ALL.
Such machine learning includes Naïve Bayes (NB), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and K-nearest Neighbor (K-NN) classifiers, all of which are quicker at detecting B-ALL than traditional lab methods used previously.
Targeting Molecular Resistance
Research teams are using advanced modeling to help identify drugs that switch off the genetic triggers that make B-ALL resistant to conventional treatments.
New research is also helpful for precise drug therapies, combining them to help destroy cancerous cells successfully.
What Other Developments are Being Made in Cancer Research?
It’s good to be aware of recent cancer research and how it’s rapidly shifting towards highly personalized, targeted therapies. Combine that with the integration of AI to improve detection and treatment efficiency, and as a result, a lot more people’s lives are being turned around due to the developments being made and treatments being rolled out.
Let’s take a look at some of the key areas of development happening in cancer research currently.
1. Personalized Cancer Vaccines
Researchers are developing vaccines that are tailored to an individual’s tumor and are designed to train the immune system to recognize and kill those cancer cells.
Several vaccines have helped reduce the risk of recurrence of cancers or death in some cases, as well as ones that are preventative for people at high risk of cancers like lung cancer, for example.
2. Artificial Intelligence in Diagnostics and Treatment
It comes as no surprise that AI is being used to help analyze complex data a lot faster than humans. Helping to enable earlier detection as well as tailored treatments has become a game-changer for many.
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AI models like MIT’s ‘Sybil’ have already helped to predict lung cancer risk up to six years in advance by using low-dose CT scans. The use of AI is also helping to identify ‘undruggable’ proteins and helping to streamline drug development, too.
A lot of high-risk patients are being identified thanks to AI algorithms. AI algorithms are able to analyze patient records to help predict risks for cancers that are often difficult to screen for, like pancreatic cancer, for example.
3. Advanced Immunotherapies (CAR-T and TIL)
Immunotherapy is one that’s being expanded in order to treat a wide range of cancers as well as solid tumors, making them more efficient as a result.
Therapies like TIL, which help to treat advanced melanoma, and Bispecific Antibodies help to bind to both cancer and immune cells, providing new approvals for relapsed multiple myeloma.
4. Precision Drug Delivery and Targeted Therapies
There are new methods that are ensuring drugs specifically target cancer cells, whilst also reducing side effects on healthy tissue. Such targeted therapies include:
Targeted Protein Degradation – Helps destroy cancer-promoting proteins rather than it just inhibiting them.
Acoustic Cluster Therapy – A technique that helps to enhance the delivery of chemotherapy directly into tumors.
Radiopharmaceuticals – Treating difficult-to-treat cancers with molecularly targeted radiation.
5. Liquid Biopsies for Early Detection
The use of liquid biopsies is being developed to help detect cancer-derived DNA in blood or other fluids. Early screenings are helpful with new blood tests, as well as the tests helping with monitoring resistance to therapy before it becomes clinically apparent.
6. Diet and Lifestyle Interventions
Research has increasingly become focused on how our lifestyle and diets can directly impact treatment efficacy.
From exercise as treatment to gut microbiome, there are still influences that may impact treatment when it comes to the food we eat and the lifestyle choices we make.
7. New Treatment Approaches in Trials
There are many new treatment approaches in their trial periods. For cervical cancer, recent studies have shown that a short course of chemotherapy before standard treatment helps to reduce the risk of death.
Brain tumors are being combated with magnetic drug delivery, which uses a helmet to guide magnetic particles attached to chemotherapy drugs across the blood-brain barrier.
With both cancer research and technology having continuous investment pumped into both, we can only hope that we’re one step closer in the fight against cancers of all types.
