La Trobe launches AI medical research centre

La Trobe University’s Australian Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Medical Innovation (ACAMI), launched last month, aims to build upon on the university’s existing capabilities to become a globally recognised and commercial sustainable centre which leverages AI technologies, data and skills innovation to drive growth of an AI-enabled medical ecosystem in Victoria. The state government has committed $10 million over five years to the centre, while La Trobe will contribute $9.3 million.

“Our $10 million investment in the new Australian Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Medical Innovation will help Victorian researchers make medical breakthroughs and save lives,” said Victorian Minister for Economic Growth Tim Pallas.

ACAMI Director and Chief Scientist Professor Wei Xiang said the centre is Australia’s first AI medical research facility and the world’s first university innovation centre specialising in using artificial intelligence to develop immunotherapies and cancer vaccines. This should enable broad-spectrum like chemotherapy to be replaced by more personalised, better targeted treatments.

Initial projects to be carried out at the centre include:

• Lab on a chip: The NanoMslide is a cancer-detecting biosensor invented by La Trobe researchers and being commercialised by La Trobe spin-out company AlleSense. It enables the detection of cancer cells based on colour, using cutting-edge nanotechnology to provide faster, cheaper and more accurate diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer. ACAMI will advance this technology further, allowing for rapid automated image assessment, which will support more accurate diagnosis of complex cancers.
• The digital twin: Researchers will construct a virtual model of patient’s tumours using genetic information to determine how a person’s cancer will respond to possible treatments. The project, conducted in collaboration with the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, is expected to aid clinical decision-making, saving time and money for cancer treatments.
• Colour cell mapping: Researchers at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute are using molecules from jellyfish and sea anemones to inject colours into human cells to track how breast cancer spreads. The study will use AI to map each cancer cell with their genetic profile and predict which cells are able to resist treatment and spread. This will give doctors a better understanding of which patients are more likely to relapse and which drugs to prescribe for the most effective treatment.
   

The research power of mRNA and AI will be harnessed at the centre, with ACAMI researchers tapping into a soon-to-be-built clinical-scale mRNA manufacturing facility thanks to an agreement facilitated by the Victorian Government with the centre’s first industry partner, German biotechnology company BioNTech.

ACAMI will couple that technology with Australia’s first NVIDIA DGX H200 and the NVIDIA Clara suite of computing platforms and software services, to turbocharge work in both diagnosis and research. Rory Kelleher, Global Business Development Lead for Healthcare and Life Sciences at NVIDIA, said, “AI and accelerated computing have the potential to solve some of the healthcare industry’s greatest challenges.

“ACAMI’s AI initiatives, powered by NVIDIA Clara and DGX H200 systems, will help bring real benefits — from disease detection to treatment planning — to the patients who need it most.”

Xiang said an immediate by-product of the supercomputers’ use would be much faster and more accurate analytics of massive amounts of medical datasets — what he classed as the “low-hanging fruit” of AI supercomputing. He added that AI also has the potential to halve drug development times, accelerating discovery and clinical trials of new treatments.

“The potential of AI in medical research is huge,” he said. “With AI, we can develop precision medicine that addresses the unique characteristics of each patient, significantly improving treatment.

“Imagine being able to vaccinate yourself against cancer. AI and mRNA brings us closer to that for a whole range of cancers.”

Image credit: iStock.com/Suriphon Singha