Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing multiple areas of knowledge. In recent years, the use of this technology has made it possible to promote countless initiatives in the area of biomedicine, ranging from faster and more precise diagnostic processes to more detailed monitoring of treatments, including a more efficient organization of hospitals. an improvement of tools for health education, among many others. A new CaixaResearch Debate brings together three experts who will talk about the present and future of the application of AI in the field of biomedicine.
The use of AI allows large volumes of information to be collected, classified and rationalized very quickly. The objective is to find patterns, relate concepts and draw conclusions from enormous amounts of data, impossible for the human brain to process. The use of algorithms allows us to analyze a large amount of information in a short time, and thus advance much more quickly in the understanding of diseases, reducing research times.
A new CaixaResearch Debate will take place on March 20 at 7 p.m. to discuss the present and future of the application of AI in the field of biomedicine. This online meeting open to the public will bring together speakers Alfonso Valencia, ICREA professor, director of the Department of Life Sciences at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS); Natalia Pérez de la Ossa, coordinator of the Stroke Unit at the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital (IGTP) and Rodrigo Menchaca, founding partner and advisor of AIS Channel and director of digital skin at ISDIN.
To what extent can AI improve the accuracy of disease diagnosis compared to traditional methods? Can AI predict the emergence of pathologies before they manifest clinically? And what are the ethical limits of collecting and using health data for the development of AI algorithms? These are some of the issues that the CaixaResearch Debate will focus on, which will be moderated by Josep Corbella, a journalist from La Vanguardia specialized in science and health.
Specialists point out that, with proper training, AI can learn to identify common parameters in a certain disease, which allows it to improve its diagnostic capacity and choose the most appropriate therapy in each case, thus increasing the effectiveness of treatments. It is also being used as a tool to improve prevention and early detection of diseases. Additionally, AI facilitates patient monitoring and care, surgical robotics, new drug discovery, and practitioner experience by simulating clinical situations for risk-free learning.
The group led by Dr. Alfonso Valencia, one of the speakers at the next debate, applies machine learning and AI to personalized medicine. From the BSC-CNS he co-leads a project that seeks to identify new biomarkers to predict the risk of relapses in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a disease that affects 15 people per million inhabitants per year in developed countries, according to data from IARC, the International Center of Cancer Research. This type of tumor represents an enormous challenge, since one in two patients develops the disease again and, when that happens, 90% of them die.
The team led by Dr. Natalia Pérez de la Ossa is developing a new application focused on the pre-hospital environment that, through AI algorithms, will allow stroke patients to be quickly categorized and improve their chances of recovery. Stroke is a highly prevalent disease that affects 15 million people a year worldwide. According to data from the Spanish Society of Neurology, each year between 110,000 and 120,000 people suffer a stroke in Spain, of which 50% are left with disabling consequences or die.
In all cases of stroke, reaction time is key and the chances of recovery of neuronal tissue depend on an agile and precise response in its characterization and treatment. The initial transfer of those affected to hospital centers that do not have treatments or personnel experienced in stroke or the lack of early care are some of the inconveniences that could be avoided by applying AI in the ambulance. Knowing whether the stroke was caused by arterial occlusion (85% of cases) or hemorrhage (15%) can be decisive, as can going to the health center that guarantees the best clinical recovery.
For his part, Rodrigo Menchaca is one of the founders of AIS Channel, an initiative that straddles two subjects, surgery and education. It is a digital platform that allows any doctor or surgeon to learn how to proceed with an intervention. One of the AIS Channel proposals is the basis of real-time human tele-mentoring, assisted with adaptive AI systems, that is, remote mentoring or assistance. Real telecare supported by 5G technology allows a specialist surgeon to guide, without being physically present and in real time, the surgeon who is operating in the operating room.
The Cycle of Debates highlights the work of research and health professionals who receive aid from the ”la Caixa” Foundation through its Research Programs. Led by experts in scientific research, medicine and innovation, the debates have become a meeting point between society and science, a space in which to publicize the progress of health research and innovation projects. that seek to improve our quality of life.
