How are bioinformatics and AI impacting medicine?

The subject of longevity and even immortality has occupied the minds of countless alchemists since antiquity. This, of course, clashed with fantasy or myths rather than a scientific basis, for it is only in recent centuries and the industrial and technological revolutions and the development of medicine that human life has realistically begun to lengthen.

For comparison - the average human life expectancy in 1800 was about 40 years, 100 years later it was about 50 years, today it is over 70 years. Going further and taking into account this scale of growth, one could say that only in 2100 it will be 90 years, nothing could be further from the truth, because the 21st century has brought us specific technological tools to fight aging.

As recently as 2017, life expectancy of 90 years in some regions of the world could be reached as early as 2030, according to the British medical weeklyThe Lancet.

That was 2017, and 8 years at today's pace of progress and development is a gulf, as we are already talking about gene therapies, disease-predicting algorithms and personalized treatments. Bioinformatics, biotechnology and artificial intelligence are today a combination that is changing the definition of human longevity.

A scientist in a laboratory working on a research machine.

Length or quality of life?

Before we go on to elaborate on these three technologies, forming a kind of synergy in the topic at hand, we need to clarify and perhaps even correct a bit about their role in extending human life. Well, today's development of technology, the work of scientists or innovators in the field of medicine, is primarily focused on extending life in good health, not just extending its total length.

Advances in biotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI) have created a kind of new paradigm in medicine - a shift from treating disease to preventing and optimizing health. With tools such as omics data analysis, machine learning and cellular therapies, scientists are not only extending life, but also improving its quality.

Biotechnology and its impact on the development of medicine

Biotechnology undeniably has a huge impact on today's medical development, as it focuses on creating new methods for diagnosing, treating and preventing diseases.

What are these methods? First of all, they are based on CRISPR gene editing, that is, precise modification of DNA, which can significantly affect the effective treatment of genetic diseases. In turn, the problem of shortage of organs for transplantation can be solved by bioprinting technology (3D printing of organs), which makes it possible to create functional tissues and organs.

Once unthinkable, but now an everyday occurrence, it means researching diseases or viruses and testing drugs or vaccines for them without having to experiment on animals. Now, organoids, or miniature versions of human organs grown in laboratories, are used for this purpose.

An important development in biotechnology today is also biohacking, which can be defined as a practice that seeks to optimize the body and mind through advances in science and technology.

A perfect example of this would be the case of billionaire Bryan Johnson, founder of Project Blueprint, who is using gene therapy and advanced supplementation protocols, among other things, to reverse the aging process. To that end, he spends $2 million a year to make his body function like that of an 18-year-old, and his day consists of 111 supplements, three hours of exercise and hundreds of measurements - from cytokine levels to bone density. A rather controversial practice, but one that shows exactly how far the ambitions of modern science go.

Artificial intelligence, or precise diagnosis in medicine

The increasing use of artificial intelligence in modern medicine, in turn, makes it possible to analyze vast amounts of medical data and identify patterns invisible to the human eye and mind. In particular, it enables early detection of diseases by analyzing radiological images and genetic data, thus identifying early stages of cancer or other serious conditions.

AI analyzes medical data several thousand times faster than humans. Algorithms detect early signs of Alzheimer's from brain scans, predict the risk of a heart attack with 90% accuracy, and even design new drugs. One example is the AlphaFold2 system from DeepMind, which has an outstanding track record in predicting the three-dimensional structure of proteins, which has proven to be a revolution in therapy design. AI's genetic and lifestyle analysis of patients, allows them to personalize their treatment by creating individualized therapeutic plans, increasing the effectiveness of treatment and minimizing side effects.

Smart wearables are also not insignificant, enabling real-time health monitoring. They are equipped with biomedical sensors, enabling continuous monitoring of patients' health parameters.

Bioinformatics, or the combination of biology and computer science in medicine

All these breakthrough technologies in modern medicine, require expertise in bioinformatics - a field that combines biology, chemistry, computer science and statistics. Bioinformaticians deal with the analysis of genomic, transcriptomic or proteomic data and the development of predictive models based on machine learning. Their work makes possible the development of new drugs, the development of personalized medicine and the identification of disease biomarkers.

This is where the role of the Bioinformatics postgraduate program at PJAIT comes in, which trains specialists in the field:

NGS (next-generation sequencing) genomic data analysis,
modeling of protein structures using the aforementioned AlphaFold2,
programming in Python and R, and applying machine learning to biology.

The program includes hands-on projects, such as protein structure prediction and genomic database management, preparing graduates to work at companies such as Insilico Medicine, where the first drug discovered by AI is in clinical trials.

It's also worth mentioning here that already at the bachelor' s degree in Computer Science at PJAIT, students have classes in the basics of bioinformatics, which should provide good preparation for the later, above-described postgraduate studies. However, graduates of natural sciences, such as biology, chemistry or biotechnology, will also successfully find their way here.

The future of medicine today

While some of these technologies seem futuristic or controversial (such as the aforementioned gene therapy used by Bryan Johnson), many are already finding practical applications in clinical medicine. With biotechnology and artificial intelligence working together, humanity faces a real opportunity to significantly extend life and improve its quality.

Longevity 2.0 is not just a futurist's dream - it is a reality being shaped today by scientists and innovators around the world. As these technologies continue to develop, we can expect more breakthroughs that will bring us even closer to overcoming the biological barriers that limit the length of human life.

Want to be part of this revolution? Find out how you can become qualified in bioinformatics - a key field for the medicine of the future.