NAIROBI, Kenya- Cancer researchers at the University of Manchester and The Christie hospital have received a £5.9 million grant from Cancer Research UK to accelerate their work using artificial intelligence (AI) to simulate clinical trials for cancer treatments.
This cutting-edge approach will allow researchers to conduct “virtual trials,” testing the effectiveness of various radiotherapy treatments on AI-generated patient groups that mimic real-life data.
By using these AI models, the team hopes to make cancer research faster, safer, and more affordable.
The grant, set to fund the project over the next five years, supports the creation of virtual patient groups based on actual patient data, allowing treatments and medical devices to be tested without involving real patients.
This pioneering work in Manchester will focus on personalized cancer treatments, tailoring therapy options based on individual genetic profiles and tumor characteristics.
The project also plans to compare a new form of proton beam therapy against traditional radiotherapy for lung cancer patients.
Lead researcher Professor Rob Bristow highlighted the potential of AI-driven virtual trials, explaining that simulated testing can streamline the trial process and improve safety.
“We’re aiming for research that is faster, safe, and less expensive than traditional clinical studies,” Bristow said.
This virtual approach offers the potential to explore more innovative treatments and develop therapies that might be otherwise delayed by the time and costs associated with traditional trials.
The Christie hospital, known for its early work in radiotherapy dating back to the 1920s, is part of a select network of Cancer Research UK centers.
As one of only seven centers of excellence across the UK, the Manchester team is positioned to advance radiotherapy research, pushing the boundaries of cancer treatment with AI and data-driven techniques.
Radiotherapy, which kills cancer cells by damaging their DNA with X-ray radiation, has proven effective, but researchers are now investigating ways to refine and personalize the treatment further.
Cancer Research UK noted that each year, about 44,000 people in the northwest of England are diagnosed with cancer, making this initiative all the more critical for regional and national healthcare outcomes.
As AI takes on a more significant role in the fight against cancer, the grant awarded to Manchester’s project marks a promising development in transforming how clinical trials are conducted.
With the potential to create more personalized, efficient, and accessible cancer treatments, AI simulations may well become the next frontier in the journey to improve survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients.
