Scientists from Harvard University have created an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that would enable physicians to do real-time genetic analysis of brain tumors during surgery. Brain tumors often have poor treatment outcomes because their proximity to the brain makes treating them effectively more difficult compared to tumors in other locations.
Furthermore, limited information on a tumor’s genetics can make it harder for physicians to make treatment choices such as how much of the tumor to remove via surgery or how to administer cancer-killing drugs.
With the new AI tool, neurosurgeons would be able to decode the molecular code of a tumor during surgery, a feat that currently takes anywhere from days to a few weeks to complete, and help them to make informed decisions while the patient is still in surgery. The tool provides accurate diagnoses at a molecular level, allowing neurosurgeons to determine the amount of brain tissue to remove during surgery to make the procedure more effective.
Figuring out the right amount of tissue to remove can be tricky because removing a large amount of tissue for a less aggressive type of tumor can impact the patient’s cognitive and neurologic function. However, removing less tissue for more aggressive types of cancers can cause remnants of the tumor to grow and metastasize.
Kun-Hsing Yu, senior study author and assistant professor of biomedical informatics at the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, explains that even the most advanced techniques currently cannot create accurate molecular profiles, making it difficult for neurosurgeons to make critical decisions such as how much tissue to remove during surgery. Current diagnostic approaches involve removing brain tissue and freezing it before examining it under a microscope. Unfortunately, freezing the tissue changes how cells look under the microscope and can result in inaccurate clinical evaluations. It can also be difficult to spot minute genomic variations on a microscope using a human eye.
Dubbed Cryosection Histopathology Assessment and Review Machine (CHARM), the new tool overcomes this issue by eliminating human error and “extracting untapped signals from pathology slides,” Yu said. Obtaining accurate molecular profiles during surgery also makes it possible for physicians to implement on-the-spot treatments by placing drug-coated wafers into the brain, the researcher explained.
According to the research team, CHARM is already available to other researchers at no cost. However, the team noted that the tool will have to be tested in real-world settings and receive approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) before hospitals can begin using it officially.
The future looks brighter for the brain-cancer field. This is because breakthroughs such as CHARM, together with the drug-development efforts of enterprises such as CNS Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (NASDAQ: CNSP), promise to yield paradigm shifts in the way brain cancers are diagnosed and treated.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CNSP
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