🧠 New AI enables real-time brain tumor diagnosis during surgery

• A new AI system significantly speeds up brain tumor diagnosis during surgery.
• Precise detection assists in crucial surgical decisions, enhancing patient outcomes.
• The method demonstrates promise in advancing tailored cancer treatments.

Scientists unveil an innovative artificial intelligence tool that swiftly diagnoses tumor types during surgery, a leap that promises to bolster surgical decisions in real time, writes the NY Times.

This method, rooted in speedy genetic sequencing and deep learning, emerged from Dutch researchers, whose findings were recently published in the journal Nature.

Meet Sturgeon

Named Sturgeon, the AI system delves into the genetic arena of a tumor, identifying specific chemical alterations that disclose not only the type but also the subtype of a malignancy. This information, now accessible within the initial stages of a surgery, paves the way for surgeons to gauge the extent of surgical intervention required, offering a fine-tuned approach that was largely elusive before.

Sturgeon's maiden voyage involved analyzing frozen tumor specimens from past surgeries, where it showcased an accuracy rate of 90 percent within a mere 40 minutes into genetic sequencing. The system's prowess extended to live surgeries, delivering accurate diagnoses in 72 percent of cases, all within a time frame less than 90 minutes.

The conventional method, reliant on microscopic examination and extended genetic sequencing, often leaves surgeons in a diagnostic lurch for weeks.

This delay, as experts pointed out, translates to a treatment gamble where medical professionals embark on a therapeutic journey blindfolded, so to speak, unaware of the exact nature of the tumor they are confronting.

This novel approach, however, narrows down the sequencing focus to a select segment of the cellular genome, ensuring results are at the surgeon's fingertips well before the scalpel ventures into critical areas.

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