The State-of-the-Art Treatments for Brain Tumors using Cell Atlas and Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

  There are approximately 40 trillion cells in a human body. Were the DNA contained in each of these cells to be connected end-to-end, it would measure 74 billion kilometers, amounting to the distance from Earth to Sirius. Analysis of this length of DNA is now possible within a period as short as a few hours. Since the mid-2000s, next-generation sequencing (NGS) has become widely available, and we have now reached the era of the $1000 genome with which NGS platforms have been completed. Intron-reading whole genome sequencing (WGS) technology is now mainstream, replacing the use of targeted gene sequencing panels. By 2020, we should expect that WGS analysis will become standard over DNA analysis using panel-based NGS or exon sequencing. WGS is now also capable of rapidly screening millions of genetic abnormalities with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), such as the representative AI, “Watson for Genomics”. In an era with such an abundance of electronic data and overwhelming amounts of published scientific literature, particularly research related to glioma, Watson for Genomics can help scientists more efficiently learn, analyze, and draw conclusions from information contained in 20 million papers on a daily basis, covering topics such as cancerous mutations and the mechanisms of the human body. Information related to genetic mutations can then offer insight into determining the most appropriate therapeutics. Further, the “Human Cell Atlas”, a project aiming to cultivate better understanding of the actions of individual cells in a variety of contexts such as cancer biology, neuroscience, and developmental biology, has now commenced. Within the biological central dogma comprised of the genome, the cell, and the body, medicine will likely evolve rapidly in the coming 2-3 years.