How do AI and Stem Cells Fight Diseases?

It is 2040, I'm sitting in the doctor's office, waiting for his decision. I have a feeling that it isn't going to be good. And then he said the words that I will never forget: "You have Parkinson's disease."

I was devastated. Parkinson's is a horrible disease, I saw it firsthand with my father, and I know there is no cure. But the doctor had some good news: We could request new brain cells directly engineered from my stem cells bank.

I'm so relieved. This means that I could fight this disease and win! I immediately started planning my treatment regimen and soon I was on my way to recovery.

Why Stem Cells?

The human body ages and our cells too. Our bodies are ticking bombs. stem cells could be a solution. Personalized stem banks at scale are a dream we have always wanted. The problem is that stem cells are really really hard to engineer.

Image By Public Domain anusorn nakdee

The Problem

Stem cells are difficult to engineer. Today, we take patient blood cells, add chemicals, and turn them into stem cells. During this process, stem cells end up being extremely messy and take different directions toward the eye, brain, and skin which are hard to control.

The process is extremely artisanal that where a skilled professional removes the unwanted cells by hand. Making personalized stem cells too expensive for the vast majority of us. Today to generate a personal stem cell bank costs around $1M.

Using a foreign stem cell is cheaper, but you risk the problem of rejecting the cell. That is why scientists are banking the most common stem cells, but still, it won’t work 100% for you. Especially for underrepresented communities.

The Solution: AI to reduce the cost of stem cells

Nabiha Saklayen from Cellino proposed a solution: to use AI to automate Stem cell development. She identified unwanted elements from Stem Cells cassettes and removed them with a laser to automate the whole process.

To make the production scalable, they use lasers to clean the bad cells and computer vision to identify the right ones and reduce costs. This is how it works:

1. Take some blood cells, put them in a cassette, add chemicals and turn them into stem cells.
2. Instead of doing the manual search and removing by hand the unwanted, let the AI algorithm do it for you. They let the laser take care of the rest.
3. You end up with a clean culture of a bankable casset of stem cells. Each casset is your stem cell.

In the future, you will get blood drawn at birth and use it to create your cassette. Then people will be able to order any cells for you: new hair, new skin, etc

The goal of this method is to reduce the price from $1M to $50k per personal stem bank in the future.

Use Cases for This Technology

Implants

A stem cell is like a blank canvas. It can grow into any type of cell in the body, which makes them incredibly useful for medical implants. In the past, doctors have used stem cells to grow new skin for burn victims, new bones for people with injuries, and new neurons for patients with Parkinson’s disease. One day, we may be able to use stem cells to grow new organs for people who need transplants. We may also be able to use them to repair damaged tissue and relieve the symptoms of diseases like Alzheimer’s and diabetes.  

Personalized pharmaceuticals.

Imagine a future where you could go to the doctor and receive a prescription for a medication that is specifically tailored to your genetic makeup. That future may not be as far off as you think, thanks to the growing field of personalized pharmaceuticals. By using stem cells, researchers are now able to create so-called "mini-organs" that can be used to test the effects of new drugs. This approach has already led to the development of several personalized medications, including one for a rare genetic disorder called NF1. With personalized pharmaceuticals, we are finally starting to see the realization of the incredible promise of stem cells.

Generative medicine

One of the hottest topics in the field of medicine is the use of stem cells for regenerative purposes. Doctors and scientists are exploring the potential of stem cells to repair or replace damaged tissue and organs. This new branch of medicine, known as regenerative medicine, holds great promise for treating a wide range of conditions, from heart disease to Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, regenerative medicine may one day be used to create custom-made organs and tissues for transplantation. While the full potential of regenerative medicine is still being explored, it is clear that this field holds immense promise for improving the lives of countless people.

Conclusion

The potential uses for stem cells are endless and scientists are only just starting to scratch the surface of what is possible. With so much promise, it is clear that stem cells will play a major role in the future of medicine. In particular, stem cells may be used to treat a wide range of diseases and conditions, from heart disease to Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, regenerative medicine may one day be used to create custom-made organs and tissues for transplantation. While the full potential of regenerative medicine is still being explored, it is clear that AI can make a huge impact in this field and holds immense promise for improving the lives of countless people.

Recommended content

• TED: What you need to know about stem cell therapy
• Stem cell healing institute: What are the stem cells

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