AI predicting suicides and DNA-based cancer therapies

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is using AI-based technology to predict the risk of suicide among the veterans. It uses mental health history data, as doctors usually do, but it also takes into consideration other data like age, physical condition, job, and marital status, hospital visits, or past prescriptions. It uses thousands of cases of past suicides from the database and relies on 61 factors all together to mark persons at risk of taking their own lives. Once it does it, a suicide safety plan is prepared, and the veteran at risk is offered help.

Scientists from universities in Israel and the U.S. were able to get rid of cancerous cells in mice, without affecting the healthy ones around them. The research team relied on an editing tool that allows to cut out a part of DNA. They targeted two of the most lethal cancers: glioblastoma and ovarian cancer. In both cases, they were able to raise the survival rate of the mice patients significantly. The technology needs to be developed further and should be ready to use on humans within the next two years.

A new blood test could allow the continuous tracking of breast cancer in patients, including how it spreads, changes, and responds to treatment. The new test, developed by scientists from the U.K., tracks cancer’s molecular clock taking its DNA signature from the blood. It will help doctors to prepare individual and more effective treatment. Once introduced, the test should be inexpensive.