A publication by researchers based at REMEDi4ALL partner institution Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland at the University of Helsinki has been recognised by CORDIS news, the European Commission’s main source of results from EU research and innovation-funded research projects.
The article, published in Nature Communications in October 2024, focuses on the development of a new machine learning model: scTherapy. ScTherapy uses single-cell data from patient samples to predict specific therapeutic options based on the types of cell populations detected in the samples. Used in the context of cancer cells, these predicted treatments show low toxicity to healthy cells and solid potential to increase the efficacy of treatments.
As highlighted by joint first author Kristen Nader (doctoral researcher, FIMM), this approach is transferable to many different applications due to its ability to generate accurate predictions from a small sample of human cells.
“Since the approach uses only a limited number of patient primary cells, it is widely applicable to any patient samples that are amenable to scRNA-seq profiling. Selective combinations among approved drugs also provide straightforward repurposing opportunities for cancer treatment.”
– Kristen Nader (Joint first author and doctoral researcher, FIMM).
Therefore, this technology could be used in repurposing of previously approved drugs or drug combinations for treatment of diseases including cancer and has the potential to deliver personalised treatment for individual patients.
“We demonstrate that the predicted combinations do not only show synergistic effect in overall cancer cell killing but also result in minimal toxic side effects in non-cancerous cells, thereby increasing the likelihood for clinical translation.”
– Tero Aittokallio (Corresponding author and group leader, FIMM).
The mention of this publication by CORDIS not only highlights the significant scientific advance associated with this work, but also the potential societal impact of this approach on individuals with high unmet clinical need or those who do not respond to standard first-line treatments.
Find out more in the article from CORDIS News here, discover more in the news article from FIMM and read the full article in Nature Communications.
At REMEDi4ALL we are working to build a patient-centric platform for drug repurposing where drugs are repurposed for patient access and patient benefit. Learn more about REMEDi4ALL and why drug repurposing matters here.
