Artificial Intelligence at the service of hematology to develop ‘intelligent algorithms’ capable of analyzing millions of clinical, molecular and genetic data of patients in record time which then translate into more precise diagnosis and prognosis, but above all into increasingly personalized therapies for blood cancers. The second phase of the project goes in this direction Philadelphia University (from the name of the chromosome responsible for these diseases) organized byNational Academy of Medicine. A training course dedicated to the use in hematology of new technologies at the service of research, such as Artificial Intelligence and big data, which makes use of internationally renowned experts.
Philadelphia University
Also on the basis of what the pandemic has taught about the strategic usefulness of Artificial Intelligence, now in medicine we are trying to understand which are the fields in which the most advantages can be obtained. And hematology is among these since blood cancers are many and different from a genetic point of view even for patients affected by the same neoplasm. The Philadelphia University project, organized by the National Academy of Medicine (ACCMED), with the non-conditioning contribution of Novartis, has just completed a cycle of virtual meetings on the theme “AI and big data in hematology”. of a scientific board which includes, among others, Francesco Passamonti, Massimo Breccia, Gianantonio Rosti, Giuseppe Saglio and Alessandro Maria Vannucchi, flanked by experts such as Luca Mainardi and Pietro Cerveri from the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering of the Milan Polytechnic. “Philadelphia University – he explains Francesco Passamonti of the Department of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Insubria – is a very broad project that aims to prepare young haematologists to become the Top in precision medicine thanks to the use of AI. The first part, which took place last year, focused on the aspects related to the pathology, deepening themes such as life expectancy and therapeutic novelties. This year, however, we focused on Artificial Intelligence, machine learning and big data and their applicability. This is an absolutely new area on which there is no university training but which will be fundamental to obtain predictive models on the use of therapies “.
Hematology and Big data
Why exactly is hematology lending itself to an advantageous use of AI? “There are many different genetic variants in blood cancers and the molecular profile of the individual patient’s disease plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and choice of therapies – explains Passamonti. “The digitization of clinical data – he adds Massimo Breccia of the Department of Precision Translational Medicine at Policlinico Umberto I and professor at Sapienza University of Rome – has produced an unprecedented mass of information that, thanks to the applications of artificial intelligence, can be analyzed even in a few hours, allowing you to choose the best treatment and the drug useful rather than another one to be avoided. A further decisive step towards precision medicine capable of obtaining ever greater responses in better defined patients “.
The Harmony project
One of the European projects on AI and Big Data that also involves Italy is HARMONY (Healthcare Alliance for Resourceful Medicines Offensive against Neoplasms in Hematology). “This project in which Italy also participates – explains Passamonti – aims to improve the care of patients with important haematological diseases in order to achieve a faster management of the decision-making process and an improvement in prognosis and treatments”.
The GenoMed4All project
Another European project, which has just started, is GenoMed4All (Genomics and Personalized Medicine for all though Artificial Intelligence in Haematological Diseases) which will use existing and super-brain infrastructures starting from 10 clinical registers such as the ERN-EuroBloodNet network. This is an initiative funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation program. “The GenoMed4All project – explains Passamonti – will develop a platform for the sharing and analysis of big data in the genomic and clinical field of patients with haematological diseases, and the application of the potential offered by Artificial Intelligence”. The goal is to support doctors by allowing them to combine established clinical-pathological parameters with advanced genomic profiling, in a perspective of personalized medicine.
The role of Italy
Generally, when you think of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, the immediate connection is with the United States, but Europe is also accelerating in this sector: “Italy is committed on several fronts concerning the use of new technologies in hematology : the stakes are very high because on the horizon there is a new way to treat blood cancers that is truly tailor-made “, underlines Gianantonio Rosti of the Department of Hematology and Oncology “L. and A. Seràgnoli ”, Aou S. Orsola Malpighi of Bologna. “Our country aspires to become an international reference point for chronic myeloid leukemia and myeloproliferative neoplasms with the utmost training and clinical experience also supported by new transversal skills that open a new era in the management of these diseases”, conclude the experts. How far are we still from the concrete application of AI? “In Italy we are still very much at its infancy”, replies Passamonti. “We are developing predictive models using very large data banking and AI computation methods that will help us predict events. The next step will also be to combine real word data and this is a challenge that requires the use of AI and close collaboration also with biomedical engineers because there is a huge amount of data to interpret and manage ”.
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