AI used to help identify cancer patients suited for immunotherapy PKG

Australian researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) approach to analyze lung cancer tumours, described as a “Google Maps” method, to determine which patients may benefit from expensive immunotherapy drugs.

University of Queensland scientists studied biopsies from nearly 250 patients with non-small cell lung cancer, using AI to track millions of cells within each tumour. Patterns in cell location and interactions helped predict patient responses to Keytruda, a costly drug with potential severe side effects.

The findings mark a step toward more personalized cancer care and could be applied to other solid tumours treated with immunotherapy. A clinical trial is planned to further test the approach. Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, including in Australia, and the research offers new hope for improving treatment outcomes. The study was published in the journal “Nature Genetics’.