Medicine

Who Would You Trust More: AI or Doctors?

Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Must Read, Science, Technology / By

For as long as the profession existed, doctors have been working diligently to perfect their craft and refine any rough edges, diagnosing, treating, and eventually curing their patients in the most efficient way possible in their eyes. However, mistakes are frequently made: medical malpractice is the third leading cause of death in the United States, with over 250,000 deaths occurring yearly. Despite the rigorous education doctors undergo to officially practice their craft, they too still make mistakes. It’s human nature to err sometimes, even in life-or-death scenarios. For the majority of time, it appeared as if this was just a sacrifice that had to be made to keep one of the world’s oldest, and most vital, professions stable. 

But what if the risk of human error was eliminated by having humans removed from the equation when it came to distributing medical care?  This would dynamically pivot the medical industry and the person-to-person interaction we all know today, in a completely different direction. Some speculate that this is possible, through the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI). 

Artificial intelligence has permeated throughout the medical field briefly, but it’s been shut down due to a variety of complications, whether it’d be availability, cost, unreliability, or a combination of these factors (among others). This was especially true of Mycin, an expert system designed by Stanford University researchers to assist physicians in detecting and curing bacterial diseases. Despite its superb accuracy, being even as reliable as human experts on the matter, it was far too rigid and costly to be maintained. Despite not being medically affiliated, Google image software is another example of just how unreliable AI is: it assessed, with 100% certainty, that a slightly changed image of a cat is guacamole, a completely incorrect observation.

However, as modern technology rapidly advances, with special emphasis on machine learning (the ability of a machine to function and improve upon itself without human intervention), some believe that AI can now pick up the slack of physicians. 

This claim isn’t entirely unsubstantiated: artificial intelligence can already assess whether or not infants have certain conditions (of which there are thousands of) by facial markers, something doctors struggle with due to the massive variety of illnesses. MGene, an app that has Ai examine a photo taken of a child by its user, has over a 90% success rate at accurately detecting four serious, potentially life-threatening syndromes (Down, DiGeorge, Williams, and Noonan). AI even detected COVID-19, or SARS-CoV-2, within Wuhan, China (the origin of this virus) a week before the World Health Organization (WHO) announced it as a new virus.

With every passing day, it appears that more and more boxes that are needing to be checked, enabling the possibility of artificial intelligence becoming a dominating presence within the medical field to become one step closer to turning into a reality.

That isn’t to say that there are issues with having artificial intelligence enter the medical industry: beyond the previous problems (of cost and unreliability) being possible, Ai being ever-changing also opens up the doors to bias, ranging from socioeconomic status to race to gender and everything in between. In addition, the usage of AI also is uncomfortable to many due to the removal of the person-to-person interaction that is commonly known to people, another big issue that needs to be addressed to ensure the successful implementation of artificial intelligence into the healthcare sector. 

Regardless of what side you are on, there is a common ground: artificial intelligence will continue to get more and more advanced. While it is uncertain as to whether the general public will want AI to replace doctors, have them serve as back-end helpers, or not exist whatsoever in the office, it is clear that artificial intelligence is a tool that has both a lot of benefits and drawbacks. Whether AI is implemented or not is a question that is left to the future. 

AI can now use the help of CRISPR to precisely control gene expressions in RNA

Artificial Intelligence, Bio Chemistry, Biology, Biomedical, Engineering, Medicine, Science, Technology / By

Almost all infectious and deadly viruses are caused due to their RNA coding. Researchers from established research universities, such as NYU and Columbia, alongside the New York Genome Center, have researched and discovered a new type of CRISPR technology that targets this RNA and might just prevent the spread of deadly diseases and infections.

A new study from Nature Biotechnology has shown that the development of major gene editing tools like CRISPR will serve to be beneficial at an even larger scale. CRISPR, in a nutshell, is a gene editing piece of technology that can be used to switch gene expression on and off. Up until now, it was only known that CRISPR, with the help of the enzyme Cas9, could only edit DNA. With the recent discovery of Cas13, RNA editing might just become possible as well.

https://theconversation.com/three-ways-rna-is-being-used-in-the-next-generation-of-medical-treatment-158190

RNA is a second type of genetic material present within our cells and body, which plays an essential role in various biological roles such as regulation, expression, coding, and even decoding genes. It plays a significant role in biological processes such as protein synthesis, and these proteins are necessary to carry out various processes. 

RNA viruses

RNA viruses usually exist in 2 types – single-stranded RNA (ssRNA), and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). RNA viruses are notoriously famous for causing the most common and the most well-known infections – examples being the common cold, influenza, Dengue, hepatitis, Ebola, and even COVID-19. These dangerous and possibly life-threatening viruses only have RNA as their genetic material. So, how can/might AI and CRISPR technology, using the enzyme Cas13 help fight against these nuisances?

Role of CRISPR-Cas13

RNA targeting CRISPRs have various applications – from editing and blocking genes to finding out possible drugs to cure said pathogenic disease/infection. As a report from NYU states, “Researchers at NYU and the New York Genome Center created a platform for RNA-targeting CRISPR screens using Cas13 to better understand RNA regulation and to identify the function of non-coding RNAs. Because RNA is the main genetic material in viruses including SARS-CoV-2 and flu,” the applications of CRISPR-Cas13 can promise us cures and newer ways to treat severe viral infections.

“Similar to DNA-targeting CRISPRs such as Cas9, we anticipate that RNA-targeting CRISPRs such as Cas13 will have an outsized impact in molecular biology and biomedical applications in the coming years,” said Neville Sanjana, associate professor of biology at NYU, associate professor of neuroscience and physiology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Learn more about CRISPR, Cas9, and Cas13 here. 

Role of AI

Artificial intelligence is becoming more and more reliant as days pass by. So much so, that it can be used to precisely target RNA coding, especially in the given case scenario. TIGER (Targeted Inhibition of Gene Expression via guide RNA design), was trained on the data from the CRISPR screens. Comparing the predictions generated by the model and laboratory tests in human cells, TIGER was able to predict both on-target and off-target activity, outperforming previous models developed for Cas13 

With the assistance of AI with an RNA-targeting CRISPR screen, TIGER’s predictions might just initiate new and more developed methods of RNA-targeting therapies. In a nutshell, AI will be able to “sieve” out undesired off-target CRISPR activity, making it a more precise and reliable method. 

Microplastics are everywhere — but are they dangerous?

Ecology, Immunology, Medicine, Science / By

Originally perceived as a marine issue, with oceanographers estimating a total of 15–51 trillion microplastic particles floating on surface waters worldwide, scientists have recently discovered that these tiny particles can contaminate rivers, soils and air. Furthermore, these minuscule particles have been found in a range of food, human stool, and even made their way into some of Earth’s most remote regions; including the poles, the equator, and even Mount Everest.

Plastics are a group of materials, either synthetic or naturally occurring; used in numerous applications in our daily life. They are the third most abundant material, after concrete and steel, and are used in countless sectors; ranging from medicine to transport.

Microplastics are microscopic fragments of plastic debris, that usually emerge from plastic litter due to sunlight exposure, which causes the material to degrade and weaken over time; they can also come from plastic items due to wear and tear. For instance, up to 1.5 million microfibres, a type of microplastic, can be released per kilogram of clothing during a wash. Remarkably, even opening a plastic bottle can create thousands of microplastics. One may ask, are humans ingesting these minute particles?

The short answer is: yes, with the discovery of microplastics found in stool verifying this question. As of today, microplastics have been found in foods and drinks, mainly bottled and tap water, salt, dust, and more. According to a study conducted in Queensland, researchers studied samples of rice from different countries around the world, detecting microplastics in every sample; whether the rice was grown in Thailand, India, Pakistan, or Australia, and packaged in plastic or paper. In an interview, Dr Jake O’Brien, a lead author for Environmental Health Sciences, states “Washing the rice reduced the amount of plastic likely to be ingested. But the study used special filtered water for rinsing, and most households only have access to tap water; which contains microplastics.”

There currently isn’t enough evidence to say that microplastics are harmful, as the topic is relatively new. A lack of information and research surrounding the phenomenon is scarce, as scientists aim to establish an evidence base. Prof Ian Musgrave, a toxicologist at the University of Adelaide, expresses “Knowing if microplastics are harmful to humans is hard to untangle when we are exposed to so many other substances. While we are consuming things that have tiny amounts of microplastics, we don’t absorb them. But because we can’t demonstrate damage, that’s not a reason to be casual.” Additionally, this explains why multiple studies on the ingestion of microplastics by marine animals, can’t completely isolate the impact microplastics have against all the other pollution and pressure they are exposed to in the environment, as it’s difficult to perform.

Likewise, there are emerging studies on the effects of ingesting high levels of microplastics in rats and mice, concluding that high levels of microplastic accumulation can affect reproduction. Nevertheless, it is more likely that the smaller the particles the greater the potential to cause harm, as smaller specks have an easier chance of entering cells or tissues; however, quantifying these issues and understanding where they come from is a challenge.

While the debate is still ongoing as to whether microplastic could cause harm, you may still wish to limit your exposure. To limit your exposure, you can drink filtered tap water, and choose natural-based products over plastic for yourself and your environment will help reduce microplastic exposure. Overall, minimising microplastic exposure globally requires a substantial effort to limit the release of plastics, and microplastics, to the environment. Reducing plastic waste, washing your clothes less often, and bringing your own bag whilst shopping; all can contribute to limiting plastic release and even production; thus decreasing microplastic exposure.

Whatever the solution, it’s important that it’s better for both the planet and people.