News/Medicine
Structured insights: AI-powered biomedical research leverages massive knowledge graph
Researchers have created a groundbreaking knowledge graph called iKraph that transforms biomedical literature into structured data capable of powering automated discoveries in healthcare. This innovative approach successfully predicted repurposed drugs for COVID-19 treatment early in the pandemic, with a third of its recommendations later validated through clinical trials. The achievement represents a significant advancement in using AI to extract actionable insights from the overwhelming volume of scientific publications, potentially accelerating drug discovery and treatment development for various conditions. The big picture: A team led by Yuan Zhang has built iKraph, a comprehensive biomedical knowledge graph that won first place in...
read Apr 21, 2025From sneakers to beakers: Amgen poaches Nike’s AI chief to boost drug development
The pharmaceutical industry's race for AI talent is prompting companies like Amgen to look beyond traditional healthcare backgrounds, reflecting a strategic shift that could transform drug discovery timelines. By recruiting expertise from consumer tech sectors, biotech firms aim to leverage artificial intelligence to address the inefficiencies of traditional drug development, which typically requires over a decade and billions in investment. This cross-industry talent acquisition represents a calculated bet that external AI perspectives can accelerate innovation in an industry ripe for technological disruption. The unconventional hire: Amgen, the $151 billion biotech giant, recruited its head of artificial intelligence from Nike rather...
read Apr 18, 2025AI-powered drug discovery transforms at Isomorphic Labs
Isomorphic Labs is pioneering an AI-first approach to drug discovery that treats biology as an information processing system. Their platform uses generalized AI models to predict molecular interactions and simulate how potential therapeutics interact with targets in complex biological systems. This paradigm shift moves away from traditional target-specific methods that have historically been slow and inefficient, potentially enabling precision medicine where treatments are tailored to individual genetic profiles. The big picture: Isomorphic Labs is completely reimagining drug discovery by building AI models that can learn from the entire universe of protein and chemical interactions. "We're building generalizable AI models capable...
read Apr 10, 2025Princeton’s AI-powered health initiative combines diverse disciplines to tackle complex health challenges
Princeton Precision Health (PPH) is pioneering a unique approach to healthcare research by fusing artificial intelligence with interdisciplinary expertise to tackle complex human health challenges. Unlike traditional medical initiatives, this Princeton program distinguishes itself by bringing together diverse academic fields—from sociology to computer science—to analyze massive datasets that integrate genetic, environmental, and socioeconomic factors. This computational approach to health represents a significant shift toward understanding the multidimensional nature of human wellbeing beyond the constraints of traditional clinical research. The big picture: Princeton's initiative features 10 core faculty members from diverse disciplines working collaboratively to apply computational methods to complex health...
read Apr 8, 2025Virtual hospitals and AI are transforming healthcare access and outcomes worldwide
Digital healthcare is undergoing a profound transformation as virtual hospitals, networked devices, and AI-driven systems reshape how medical care is delivered around the world. This evolution promises to extend quality healthcare to remote patients while improving treatment outcomes through early intervention and continuous monitoring. However, the digital health revolution also raises important questions about AI's role in medical decision-making, cost barriers to implementation, and the need to prepare healthcare professionals for a technology-driven future. The big picture: Virtual hospitals are emerging as a powerful alternative to traditional medical centers, enabling patients to receive care in their homes regardless of geographic...
read Apr 8, 2025Rad AI raises $60M to combat radiologist burnout with AI imaging tools
Rad AI secures $60 million in series C funding to expand its healthcare imaging AI solutions that already process nearly half of all medical imaging in the United States. The oversubscribed round values the company at $525 million and will fuel improvements to its workflow automation technology designed to combat radiologist burnout—a critical development as CT scan volume has skyrocketed from 3 million to 80 million annually since the 1980s, leaving almost 90% of radiologists at or beyond capacity. The big picture: Rad AI has raised $60 million in series C funding to advance its AI-powered radiology solutions already used...
read Apr 7, 2025OMNY Health unlocks 4 billion clinical notes to transform healthcare research
OMNY Health's massive integration of unstructured clinical notes represents a breakthrough in healthcare data utilization, potentially transforming medical research and patient care. By converting 4 billion previously unusable clinical notes into accessible insights, OMNY has addressed a critical gap in healthcare analytics where approximately 80% of medical data exists in unstructured formats that traditional electronic health records cannot process. This development opens new possibilities for understanding disease progression, improving clinical trials, and advancing health equity research. The big picture: OMNY Health has incorporated 4 billion unstructured clinical notes into its network, transforming previously unusable data into accessible insights for healthcare...
read Apr 4, 2025Danone pivots marketing to target weight loss medication users, food manufacturers put on blast
Danone's strategic pivot to cater to consumers using GLP-1 weight loss medications represents a significant shift in food marketing strategy as health-conscious consumption patterns evolve. With approximately one in eight U.S. adults now using these medications, which require protein-rich, nutrient-dense diets, major food manufacturers are recognizing an emerging market segment with distinct nutritional needs. Danone's approach offers insight into how established food brands are adapting their product positioning and marketing to address this pharmaceutical-driven dietary transformation. The big picture: Danone North America is strategically positioning its brands to meet the nutritional needs of the growing population using GLP-1 weight loss...
read Mar 28, 2025Deepfake celebrity endorsements among growing threats to healthcare information online
Deepfakes present a growing health risk as AI-generated media increasingly infiltrates healthcare information online. The emergence of highly realistic but fake videos endorsing unproven treatments, promoting dangerous alternatives to medical care, and spreading public health misinformation creates significant challenges for consumers seeking reliable health guidance. This trend is especially concerning as more people turn to telehealth and internet resources for medical advice, requiring new critical thinking skills to navigate an information landscape where seeing is no longer believing. The growing threat: Deepfake technology is evolving from entertaining viral videos to dangerous health misinformation that could harm patients and public health....
read Mar 18, 2025AI-powered precision vaccines target vulnerable populations and opioid crisis
Artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize vaccine development through precision medicine approaches that target specific populations and conditions. Dr. Ofer Levy's Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children's Hospital exemplifies how AI and systems biology are creating tailored immunization strategies for vulnerable groups like infants and the elderly. This shift toward personalized vaccines represents a significant advancement beyond traditional one-size-fits-all approaches, with applications extending beyond infectious diseases to address public health crises like the opioid epidemic. The big picture: Vaccines are entering a new era where artificial intelligence enables researchers to develop precision immunizations tailored to specific populations and health conditions....
read Mar 18, 2025Google adds user suggestions to health search results alongside medical advice
Google is expanding its AI-powered health information capabilities by adding a new feature to Search that will display user suggestions from online discussions alongside medical information from trusted sources. This move represents a significant shift in how Google presents health-related search results, combining traditional authoritative content with crowd-sourced experiences. The feature will be available to mobile users in the US, potentially changing how people gather information about their health concerns. The big picture: Google is adding a new "What people suggest" section to health-related search results, sourcing information from online discussions to complement medical advice from established healthcare sources. The...
read Mar 17, 2025Suki’s health plans expand beyond AI scribing with Epic integration and Rush partnership
Suki's rapid ascent in the health technology landscape is transforming how clinicians interact with electronic health records and manage patient care. By securing partnerships with major healthcare organizations like Rush and integrating with essential systems like Epic, Suki is positioning itself as an indispensable AI assistant rather than merely a scribing tool. This strategic positioning comes at a pivotal moment when healthcare providers are actively seeking AI solutions that can improve clinical workflows and reduce documentation burden. The big picture: Health technology company Suki is cementing its position as a leading AI assistant in healthcare through major partnerships with prestigious...
read Mar 11, 2025AI shifts from one-time diagnostics to continuous care management in healthcare
This transcends inpatient and outpatient. AI's role in healthcare is transforming from isolated diagnostic moments to comprehensive longitudinal care management. Google's Articulate Medical Intelligence Explorer (AMIE) represents a significant evolution in medical AI, demonstrating capabilities to monitor and adjust treatment plans over time rather than just identifying conditions at a single point. This shift addresses the reality that most medical care—especially for chronic conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease—requires ongoing, adaptive approaches that respond to changing patient needs. The big picture: Healthcare AI is evolving beyond single-moment diagnostics to continuous disease management, marking a fundamental shift in how technology supports...
read Feb 28, 2025Healthcare’s first AI registry launches soon with Kaiser Permanente, Stanford Medicine on board
The Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) is taking a significant step toward standardizing AI transparency in healthcare by creating a centralized registry for AI "nutrition labels"—detailed model cards that document an AI tool's development, risks, and capabilities. This initiative, developed in partnership with IT consulting firm Avanade, aims to streamline communication between AI vendors and healthcare providers while making critical AI information accessible to the public, marking a crucial advancement in responsible AI deployment in healthcare. The big picture: CHAI's new registry will serve as a public repository for health AI model cards, building on their existing template system that...
read Feb 25, 2025AI challenges lab professionals: Key impacts to watch
Experimentation is meeting augmentation on the science job front. The advent of AI in scientific research reached a new milestone in February 2025 with Google's announcement of their AI co-scientist platform. This sophisticated system employs seven specialized AI agents working in concert to assist researchers from ideation through discovery, incorporating a novel "self-play" approach where different ideas undergo rigorous debate and evolution. Initial performance metrics: Early testing of Google's AI co-scientist platform has demonstrated remarkable success in generating scientifically viable ideas and hypotheses. Human scientists rated the AI-generated research proposals similarly to peer proposals in terms of potential impact and...
read Feb 24, 2025UK researchers develop AI that detects brain lesions missed by doctors
The development of artificial intelligence tools for medical diagnosis has reached a significant milestone in epilepsy treatment, with UK researchers creating an AI system that can detect previously invisible brain lesions. This breakthrough could particularly impact the 30,000 UK patients with uncontrolled epilepsy caused by subtle brain abnormalities that traditional scanning methods cannot identify. The breakthrough explained: MELD Graph, developed by researchers at King's College London and University College London, can detect two-thirds of epilepsy-causing brain lesions that doctors typically miss on traditional scans. The AI tool analyzes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to identify focal cortical dysplasia, a common...
read Feb 24, 2025AI software Meld Graph outperforms radiologists in early epilepsy detection
The increasing sophistication of medical imaging analysis has opened new frontiers in neurological diagnosis, particularly in the field of epilepsy treatment. A groundbreaking AI tool called Meld Graph, developed by scientists at King's College London and University College London, aims to detect subtle brain abnormalities that human radiologists might miss. The breakthrough technology: Meld Graph was specifically designed to identify focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), a type of brain malformation that occurs when neurons develop incorrectly and can cause drug-resistant epilepsy. The AI system analyzes MRI scans to detect subtle abnormalities that might be overlooked during conventional radiological review Testing involved...
read Feb 20, 2025Google’s AI scientist solves decades-long antibiotic-resistant bacteria puzzle in 2 days
The development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, known as superbugs, represents one of the most pressing challenges in modern medicine. A breakthrough in understanding how these dangerous pathogens spread between species has emerged through an unexpected collaboration between traditional scientific research and artificial intelligence. The breakthrough discovery: Google's AI tool "co-scientist" independently reached the same conclusions about superbug transmission mechanisms that took a research team at Imperial College London a decade to uncover and prove. Professor José R Penadés and his team discovered that superbugs can form virus-like tails enabling them to spread between different host species When presented with a simple...
read Feb 20, 2025How Orakl Oncology is accelerating cancer treatment with Meta’s open-source AI
The development of cancer treatments traditionally involves lengthy clinical trials and complex analysis of patient responses. Orakl Oncology, a spinoff from Europe's Gustave Roussy Institute, is working to accelerate this process by combining laboratory testing on organoids with advanced machine learning capabilities. The innovation breakthrough: Meta's open-source DINOv2 model is being deployed by Orakl Oncology to analyze vast amounts of cancer cell imaging data with unprecedented accuracy and efficiency. The platform utilizes organoids (lab-grown cancer cells) to simulate potential drug responses before clinical trials DINOv2's computer vision capabilities have improved accuracy by 26.8% compared to previous techniques The model can...
read Feb 20, 2025Open-source AI speeds up patient-matching for clinical trials
The doctor will see you right now... The healthcare industry has long struggled with efficiently matching patients to clinical trials, with traditional methods taking hundreds of days and resulting in 80% of trials missing enrollment targets. Mendel AI, a clinical AI platform, is addressing this challenge by combining open source AI models with specialized healthcare technology to reduce matching time to just one day. The innovation breakthrough: Mendel AI's Hypercube platform integrates Meta's open source Llama model with a clinical hypergraph to revolutionize patient matching and clinical trial management. The platform enables healthcare companies to organize data on their own...
read Feb 19, 2025Google’s AI research assistant aims to empower scientists, but novel discoveries remain to be seen
The development of AI tools to assist scientific research has been accelerating, with tech giants investing heavily in specialized systems. Google's latest experimental AI system aims to help scientists analyze literature, generate hypotheses, and plan research by leveraging multiple AI agents working in concert. System capabilities and functionality: Google's unnamed AI "co-scientist" tool builds on the company's Gemini large language models to provide rapid scientific analysis and hypothesis generation. The system generates initial ideas within 15 minutes of receiving a research question or goal Multiple Gemini AI agents debate and refine hypotheses over hours or days The tool can access...
read Feb 11, 2025Quantum computing leverages AI to discover new cancer drug candidates
The discovery of new cancer-fighting drugs has long been hindered by certain proteins considered "undruggable," but researchers have now developed an innovative approach combining quantum computing with artificial intelligence. Scientists at the University of Toronto and Insilico Medicine have demonstrated a new method for creating anti-cancer molecules that target previously unreachable proteins, marking a significant advancement in drug discovery. The big picture: A groundbreaking study published in Nature Biotechnology showcases how a hybrid quantum-classical AI system can generate potential drug candidates targeting the KRAS gene, a major driver of multiple cancer types. The research team developed a hybrid quantum-classical generative...
read Feb 9, 2025AI breast cancer detection trial begins in the UK
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) is launching a major artificial intelligence trial involving 700,000 women to improve early detection of breast cancer through enhanced screening methods. Key initiative details: The EDITH (Early Detection using Information Technology in Health) trial represents a significant step forward in integrating AI technology into healthcare screening processes. The trial will operate across 30 testing sites throughout the UK, focusing on women scheduled for routine breast cancer screenings The government has allocated £11 million in funding through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) The initiative was announced on February 4, 2025, coinciding...
read Feb 7, 2025Kid you not: AI examines goat faces to unlock animal cognition secrets
OpenAI and Microsoft's collaboration on AI models has sparked discussions about the evolving landscape of AI research and development partnerships. Research breakthrough: Scientists have developed an AI model that can identify pain in goats by analyzing their facial expressions with 80 percent accuracy. A team led by University of Florida veterinary anesthesiologist Ludovica Chiavaccini created the model to address the challenge of recognizing animal distress The research, published in Scientific Reports, demonstrates a novel approach to automated livestock health monitoring The system eliminates human bias in pain detection, relying instead on computer pattern recognition Methodology and data: The research team...
read