In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been slowly transforming the medical world. AI technologies allow us to invent innovations that save time and labor and improve treatment efficiency. For example, AI algorithms can process big data and help speed up and increase diagnostic accuracy. AI helps invent new medicines such as personalised medicine, a customised drug developed based on individual medical records, biology, behaviors, and environments. This technology can even help predict which disease individuals tend to have and provide them with preventive medicine. Recently, Facebook AI has also launched open-source AI that can predict combinations of existing drugs that can cure more complex diseases.
These examples show how AI can transform medicine and save more lives. Sertis would like to introduce 4 uses of AI in medicine that can be promising hope for the future.
People with paralysis can communicate again with the help of Brain-Computer Interface.
Some of us may recognise the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology from the news of Elon Musk's success in using this technology to make a monkey play video games with its brain. To put it simply, BCI is a technology that connects our brain to the computer, and we can control the machine with our brain.
With BCI, doctors have the hope to restore the paralysed’s ability to communicate again, using a computer as a medium. For example, patients can use their brains to control the computer and type what they want to say. In the past April, researchers from Brown University demonstrated a wireless high-bandwidth BCI interface, making it the first wireless BCI interface in the world. It is a big step towards implantable BCI devices. The participants with paralysis show that their brains can send signals to the wireless transmitter, allowing them to click and type on a computer.
AI can detect heart disease via your Selfies.
Not only are smartphones getting more and more advanced, but also are their cameras too. With these advanced cameras and the help of AI, doctors can detect the disease as heart diseases via our selfies. Detecting dermatitis and eye diseases in selfies are a piece of cake for AI. Nonetheless, when it comes to the ability to detect heart diseases, it is groundbreaking.
The research published in European Heart Journal reported that the researchers successfully used a deep learning model to detect coronary artery diseases (CAD) (Heart disease is one of them). They use a convolutional neural network model, trained by data from 5.796 patients, to detect physical signals including wrinkles, grey hair, and yellow deposits of cholesterol around eyelids. The result is 80% accuracy. This innovation not only speeds up the diagnoses and provides the treatment in time, but it also increases an opportunity for patients in underserved regions to access better treatments.
AI robotic surgery will improve Telesurggery and build the future of medicine Telemedicine has been developed for a long time, but the Covid-19 pandemic has caused its surge. Going to the hospital seems risky, and people have to avoid physical contact. Telemedicine is an answer, and the following of robotic surgery and telesurgery are unavoidable. Even though robotic surgery has been around for a long time, the previous robot learned only from medical images. As a result, when emergencies occurred during the surgery, the robot was almost useless. FAROS is a robotic surgery project that focuses on developing medical robots with human-like senses. The robot will have abilities to see, hear, feel, and move equally with human surgeons. It will be equipped with sensors, and AI will control its ability to learn from situations. Therefore, The robot will be able to automatically evaluate the situation and perform the surgery just like real human surgeons. Telesurgery will also be an efficient alternative if patients still need to rely on humans. Surgeons can perform telesurgery via the robot. Augmented Reality (AR) or 3D camera allows surgeons to see what the robot sees and act as if they are there themselves. The 5G does help a lot to accommodate real-time communication. This technology can help when doctors are scarce and provide more opportunities for patients in remote areas.
AI to improve gene editing will lead us towards the era of Superhuman soon.
Gene editing is another option for curing genetic diseases such as cancer. AI helps improve the accuracy and efficiency of gene editing. It analyses the patient's DNA and finds the abnormalities that cause the diseases. It can even make predictions about future possibilities.
If we get an accurate analysis from AI, we can cure diseases like cancer by editing and inserting the correct genes. Harvard University, Google, and U.S. Biotech Dyno Therapeutics have developed the method to insert adeno-associated viral (AAV) capsids into cells to cure genetic disorders. They used AI to design the AAV virus that is better at evading the immune system to cure the diseases.
However, if this technology develops to the point that we can correct our genes as much as we want, what will happen? We may have the ability to prevent every disease, but can we be sure that all is for the therapeutic purpose? If we can fix every part of our gene like a machine, does that affect our nature and humanity? These are questions that are worth asking.
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