Hadassah Cancer Research Institute: Groundbreaking Advance in Personalised Cancer Care

Hadassah Cancer Research Institute (HCRI), a leading force in advancing cancer treatments, unveils a significant breakthrough in personalised cancer care.

This research, published in the esteemed journal Cell Reports Medicine (June 11, 2024), introduces MESiCA, a novel machine learning model poised to revolutionise cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Professor Michal Lotem, Head of HCRI emphasises, ”This publication represents a major leap forward in personalised medicine, MESiCA offers a practical tool for oncologists, enabling them to make more informed decisions, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes”

Unlocking the Potential of Mutational Signatures

Cancer development is driven by mutations in the DNA, leaving behind unique patterns known as “mutational signatures.” These signatures act as fingerprints, revealing the underlying causes of the cancer. Some of these fingerprints have clinical implications for treatment plans. Traditionally, identifying these signatures required analysing a vast amount of data, often exceeding what’s available in routine clinical settings.

Professor Aron Popovtzer, Head of the Sharett Oncology Institute, explains:
“Current methods rely on targeted gene panel testing, which only analyses a small portion of the genome. This limitation hindered our ability to detect mutational signatures and apply this information to personalise treatment plans.”

MESiCA: A Game-Changer for Personalised Care

MESiCA tackles this challenge by harnessing the power of machine learning and natural language processing. This innovative model can accurately detect dominant mutational signatures using only a small number of mutations, making it ideal for everyday clinical use.

Dr. Adar Yaacov, the 1st author, and Dr. Shai Rosenberg (head of the Laboratory for Cancer Computational Biology), the principal investigator of this project highlight, ”MESiCA has been validated in over 60,000 cancer samples, revealing crucial signatures linked to better survival rates and treatment responses. By enabling the detection of these signatures in routine tests, MESiCA empowers clinicians to prescribe more accurate personalise treatment plans, ultimately improving patient outcomes.” 

This groundbreaking research by Dr. Rosenberg and Dr. Yaacov paves the way for a new era of personalised cancer care. With MESiCA, HCRI continues its unwavering commitment to developing innovative solutions to combat cancer.

Editors Notes

Source: The Hadassah Cancer Research Institute

Jul 23, 2024, first published in PR Newswire