As we’ve discussed plenty of times before, AI is most definitely the future of technology. We have already made several strides towards the optimization of AI and today it has grown to become powerful enough to come up with solutions for many unsolvable scenarios. Most recently, scientists from Uppsala University have developed a new algorithm that found a promising new treatment for neuroblastoma. But how can a computer come up with something a human mind couldn’t? Let’s find out. 

This new treatment involves activating a receptor protein (CNR2) in the nervous system. Until now, this was something that was out of reach, but after the discovery of an innovative yet highly unconventional method, what was impossible before has now been made possible. By combining large quantities of genetic and pharmacological data from several top hospitals around the world, the algorithm developed by the researchers suggested this new form of treatment that could help overturn the scenario with neuroblastoma. 

But the algorithm’s use cases doesn’t stop there, by learning from data it can come up with more new ways of treating several diseases. And to put the algorithm’s newly suggested technique through its paces, it was applied to test cases that involved the usage of cell samples from patients and animal models. 

The initial trials were of course held using the animal models. And as expected, the results were highly positive. But surprisingly, the method proved to be efficient even when applied to human cells. This is because, even though certain claims work out in an animal model, most of them generally don’t translate in the case of humans. So naturally, the scientists were astounded when they found that the cancer cells’ survival rate declined in both cases following treatment with a substance that stimulates CNR2. 

Moreover, the researchers designed the algorithm in such a way that it can be applied to find treatments for other types of cancers as well. With such a versatile and flexible algorithm, the use cases are almost limitless. In the future, as technology advances, there is no doubt that such smart algorithms would play a deeper role in the medical industry. Today, thanks to suggestions from an artificially created entity, the scenario with neuroblastoma has massively improved. And given the trajectory of technological advancement, maybe in another few years, some of the most difficult cases of cancer or any other disease for that matter, could become as simple as tackling the common cold!