Over 14 million new Cancer cases worldwide were reported in 2012, with the rate of occurrence expected to jump by approximately 70% over the next two decades, according to the World Health Organization.
Cancer patients are often treated with chemotherapy and various types of drugs, but the results of these treatments aren't uniform in effectiveness, which is why it's imperative for hospitals, clinics, and doctors to make the best drug treatment choices for each individual patient. Getting drug therapies right is an area where digitalized genomics data can help.
"The technique that we use for this is genomic sequencing," explained Dr. Jurgi Camblong, cofounder of Sophia Genetics, a provider of artificial intelligence that pinpoints the genomic code mutations behind cancers and rare disorders to assist physicians and healthcare institutions in prescribing optimal drug treatments for their patients. Today, 240 hospitals in 39 countries use the Sophia platform.
"What the technology does is spot variations in different genetic codes so we can use historical data that aids in prescribing the best combination of drugs to treat a particular cancer or condition in an individual patient," said Camblong. "This is next-generation genomic sequencing, and it is used in two different areas: chronic hereditary disorders and oncology. By using the algorithms that are part of our artificial intelligence, we can spot the origin of a genetic mutation causing a cancer or a particular condition and then give an idea of what the best drug treatment would be to the attending physician."
An example is lung cancer, where treatment in the past was prescribed based upon the patient's tissue type instead of on a particular genetic mutation. By using genetic sequencing and mutation detection instead of tissue analysis, physicians can now identify the genetic events that caused the condition in the first place, and not just treat symptoms.
