Lebanon — Geisel Medical College and Dartmouth Cancer Center are investing $2 million to launch a new Center for Precision Health and Artificial Intelligence on the campus of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.
Based in the Williamson Translational Research Building on DHMC’s campus, the new center will bring together relevant research and clinical activities from across Dartmouth to address patient concerns, including genetics, medical history, lifestyle and environment. The aim is to use information about biology to provide personalized medicine. Treatment plans and disease prevention strategies to improve people’s health.
“This is a very active area of research,” said Saeed Hassanpur, associate professor of biomedical data science, epidemiology and computer science at Dartmouth and the center’s first director, in a telephone interview. “I have many promises.”
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was talk of setting up a Dartmouth Center to focus on artificial intelligence and precision medicine, but more recently, “AI can really change many areas. It has emerged as a transformative force,” Hassanpur said. “It’s the perfect time.”
Over the past decade, genome sequencing, molecular testing, imaging technology, and wearable surveillance devices have all become more sophisticated, affordable, and widely available. The AI market in healthcare is expected to grow from about $14.6 billion in 2023 to more than $102.7 billion in 2028, according to a market research report published by advisory firm MarketsandMarkets.
AI uses computer models to sift through large and complex data sets to identify trends and patterns. In healthcare, AI can help predict disease risk, improve diagnostic accuracy, predict disease course, and adjust treatment options. For example, pathologists and radiologists can use his AI to prioritize the most pressing cases, Hassanpur said.
Cancer, the second leading cause of death in the United States and complex, will be a major focus of the center, he said.
“Cancer is really a big deal in so many ways,” said Dr. Stephen Leach, director of the Dartmouth Cancer Center. This is “partly problematic in terms of big data and evaluating data in new ways using all currently available resources.”
Oncologists need new tools provided by AI to analyze and understand information in a patient’s electronic medical record, genome sequencing, and other behavioral and environmental risk factors, Leach said. said.
“This is clearly the future,” Leach said of AI.
Rather than treating cancer broadly based on the organ of origin, Leach said, precision medicine is now being used to help treat specific mutations in human tumors.
Precision medicine can now also offer personalized prevention strategies based on individual risk factors. Providing a personalized approach to cancer prevention “is exactly the bold question that the new center hopes will be able to tackle,” said Professor Leach.
The new center also aims to examine issues related to the ethical use of machine models. For example, including more information from some groups of people, such as the model may be biased by biases that may be present in the data used. others. The center plans to involve stakeholders such as clinicians and patients to develop clear ethical guidelines on how to develop AI.
According to the news release announcing the establishment of the new center, the ultimate goal is to “guarantee equitable outcomes for all individuals regardless of their background.”
Hassanpur said the center’s role, at least initially, would be to “promote” and “promote” research already underway in various fields within the Dartmouth campus. The center also said it aims to pursue various sources of funding, including grants through the National Institutes of Health and private philanthropic and corporate efforts.
The center aims to be “a hub for this research and collaboration,” he said.
Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.
