Medical biology alumni from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) had made strides in the medical field with recent developments for early detection of colorectal cancer risk through an application using the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
In the Philippines, colorectal cancer ranks fourth among cancer-related deaths in Filipinos. 75% of Individuals aged 50 and above are found to be of higher risk in contracting the disease. 3% of children aged 14 years old and below are also prone to developing cancer. On a yearly basis, dreary statistics reveal that around 1,800 Filipinos develop such disease.
In an analysis by the World Health Organization, colorectal cancer is heavily tied to morbidity rate of cancer-related illnesses. Risks of acquiring this type of cancer is recorded to be 14 times higher in adults over 50 years of age.
A heavy burden in diagnosing colorectal cancer lies within a screening and detection process that is often invasive as it requires a colonoscopy procedure—depending on a patient’s need. Dr. Pia Albano of UST College of Science observed that patients usually feel reluctant toward colonoscopy.
Hence, Aamer Sultan and Austin De Asa, UST alumni under Albano’s supervision, have developed an application that utilizes a patient’s blood to detect risks on this particular cancer type.
The application is operated by feeding it information using six microRNA (miRNA) as a means to identify the ‘biomarkers’ embedded in the patient’s blood that will potentially lead to detection of colorectal cancer.
According to Sultan, the levels of miRNA in a person can either increase or decrease, which serve as indicators of whether a patient has cancer. These findings are founded on previous research and data from clinical trials.
The goal of these medical biology alumni is to integrate AI into their study and train it to profile these miRNAs toward the early detection of colorectal cancer risk.
Blood samples will undergo a process called quantitative polymerase chain reaction or qPCR to determine miRNA levels. The gathered data will eventually be inputted into the program developed by Sultan and De Asa.
In a country where the expense of healthcare burdens many Filipinos, this medical and technological advancement provides an avenue to mitigate risk of colorectal cancer to a certain extent without having to go through the tedious and invasive procedures. As a true contribution in the medical field, the project stood victorious at the 2022 BPI Innovation Awards.
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