Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Future of Blood Cancer Treatment: Innovation in Research 2025

Описание: Also known as machine learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a potential game-changer for earlier detection as well as deepening scientific understanding of blood cancers. Vast numbers of cells and data can be analyzed much faster with computers than with humans.

Five leading Canadian blood cancer scientists share how they are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their LLSC-funded research through the Blood Cancer AI Catalyst Grant. The following researchers discuss their work, moderated by LLSC Research Program Director, Dr. Paul O'Connell.

Dr. David Andrews is Senior Scientist in Biological Sciences at Sunnybrook Research Institute, Professor of Biochemistry and Medical Biophysics at University of Toronto, has been a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Membrane Biogenesis, a Novartis Scholar, president of the Society for Biomolecular Imaging and Informatics and a member of the editorial board of Cell Death and Differentiation. Dr. Andrews spoke about his research funded by LLSC: Primary cells identify CLL patient cohorts with distinct drug responses 

Dr. Robert Kridel has been a faculty member at the University of Toronto, a Staff Physician in the Lymphoma/Myeloma Site Group at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and a Clinician-Scientist at the Princess Margaret Research Institute since 2017. His research focuses on overcoming treatment resistance in mature lymphoid malignancies through insights from functional genomic screens and integrative genomic profiling of large patient cohorts. He has a strong interest in uncovering the molecular heterogeneity of follicular lymphoma and in identifying novel biomarkers through genetic and epigenetic profiling of liquid biopsies. Dr. Kridel spoke about his research funded by LLSC: Machine-learning classifiers for non-invasive lymphoma detection in plasma.

Dr. Sabine Mai has been a professor of physiology and pathophysiology, biochemistry and medical genetics, and human anatomy and cell science at the University of Manitoba. She is also a senior investigator at the CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Genomic Instability and Nuclear Architecture in Cancer. A global leader in cancer research, she has pioneered imaging technologies to study the spatial organization of the genome and its role in cancer progression. Mai’s research has led to major discoveries in genomic instability, including identifying the oncogene c-MYC as a driver of structural changes in the cancer genome. She has developed advanced imaging techniques to study telomere organization and nuclear architecture, which have become structural biomarkers for multiple cancers, including prostate cancer, multiple myeloma and glioblastoma. As the founder and director of the Genomic Centre for Cancer Research and Diagnosis, she leads a multidisciplinary team using super-resolution microscopy to analyze the nuclear structure of cancer cells. Dr. Mai spoke about her LLSC funded research: Automated, AI-assisted spectral detection of single multiple myeloma cells.

Dr. Yuval Garini heads the Nano Dynamics Lab in the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering. Trained as a physicist, his research spans a broad range of biophysical topics, both fundamental and applied, including genome organization within the nucleus, DNA origami-based nanotechnology, and the integration of spectral imaging and artificial intelligence for genetic and pathological applications. Dr. Garini spoke about her LLSC funded research: Automated, AI-assisted spectral detection of single multiple myeloma cells.

Dr. Michael Rauh is a Clinician-Scientist at Queen’s University and Kingston Health Sciences Centre. His combined MD and PhD training was conducted at the University of British Columbia and Terry Fox Lab of the BC Cancer Agency. His Specialized Hematological Pathology training was conducted at the University of Toronto. His clinical practice and research focus is centered on myeloid blood cancers, particularly understanding their genetic and immune origins. Dr. Rauh spoke about his research funded by LLSC: Applying AI to analyze digital images of blood cells to detect clonal hematopoiesis.