In its study on mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer induced by asbestos exposure, the University of Leicester is employing artificial
intelligence (AI).
At the University of Leicester, AI is analysing the DNA sequence of mesothelioma. Their AI-assisted research found that the disease of
mesothelioma patients proceeds in a similar way. These new findings might pave the way for the development of treatments for this fatal
cancer.
“This initial work shows us that mesotheliomas follow ordered paths of mutations during development, and that these so-called
trajectories predict not only how long a patient may survive, but also how long they will live,” said Professor Dean Fennell, Chair of
Thoracic Medical Oncology at the University of Leicester and Director of the Leicester Mesothelium Research Institute.
In the past, mesothelioma therapies were limited. Professor Fennell has also looked into utilising an immunotherapy drug called
nivolumab to treat mesothelioma, which has showed promising outcomes in terms of improved survival rates and disease stability. Thanks
to research like Professor Fennell’s, patients with mesothelioma may have a greater chance of living in the near future.
