DBT To Initiate Pilot Project On Using AI For Cancer Predictive Tools
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been another topic of the town after CRISPR cas9. Its wide applications in the field of research, healthcare & agriculture have amazed the scientific community over & over. As per Indian Express – Dr. Renu Swarup, secretary of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Union Ministry of Science and Technology said that the first AI pilot job for predicting modelling and diagnosis of cancer is likely to be rolled out shortly.
AI aims to mimic cognitive capabilities and recent AI techniques have shown how physicians can make clinical decisions that are better with it. Dr. Swarup is also the chairperson of Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), which is encouraging innovation and research in the biotech business with an emphasis on start-ups and SMEs and recently celebrated its 7th foundation Day.
As per Dr. Renu Swarup: AI is bringing a paradigm shift in energy, agriculture and healthcare.
Dr. Swarup said a proposal for developing AI models for predictive tools for cancer is already on the floor and is up for discussions. “We’ve got a great deal of cancer-related information and our partners at the national and global consortium
of this cancer genomics program. So, the aim is to bring all these groups together and determine how we could bring from the AI version as a predictive tool for cancer,” said Swarup.The cancer cohort at NIBMG in Kalyani – West Bengal’s Nadia district, is also working on clinical data with cancer hospitals.
With its application in diagnostics, AI can also be useful to extract information to assist doctors in inferring health risks and chalk out a contingency plan accordingly – apart from helping in reducing errors.
BIRAC was set up with a motto to connect start-ups and entrepreneurs together with academia and industry, she explained. “Now, all our start-ups are functioning 41 bio-incubator centers and while there’s adequate technology, we need to assist them to converge,” Dr. Renu explained.
