Treated Frog Embryo (IMAGE)
Caption
New research shows that artificial intelligence (AI) can help scientists in fields such as oncology and regenerative medicine control complex biological systems to reach new and previously unachievable outcomes. At Tufts University, treating frog embryos with three reagents selected by an AI model resulted in something never before seen: a loss of concordance among pigment cells (melanocytes) undergoing metastatic conversion. In embryos treated by this unique set of reagents, pigment cells in some areas of a single tadpole converted to an invasive, cancer-like form (tissues over the left eye above) while other regions in that tadpole remained normal (tissues over right eye above). This is the first time an artificial intelligence system has been used to discover the exact interventions necessary to obtain a specific novel result in a living organism, and provides new insight into the biophysics of cancer.
Credit
Maria Lobikin and Michael Levin of Tufts University.
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