Oxford scientists build powerful 'home-grown' machine to accelerate cancer treatments

The initiative brings together clinicians, cancer researchers, artificial intelligence specialists, robotics engineers and manufacturing experts.

Researchers are using UK sovereign AI infrastructure, including the DAWN and ISAMBARD-AI supercomputers, to process large volumes of cancer and immune-system data beyond the capabilities of conventional university computing systems.

Dr Lennard Lee, the project lead and an associate professor at the University of Oxford, said: "Patients often ask whether artificial intelligence will genuinely make a difference for people with cancer.

"What this programme has demonstrated in a remarkably short period of time is that the United Kingdom possesses world-class sovereign AI systems.

"It is now possible to move much faster from AI prediction towards real-world personalised drug development."

The newly supported phase of the project will include equipment for producing experimental mRNA cancer vaccines, alongside laboratory testing, to establish whether targets identified by the AI can trigger an immune response in patient samples.

Researchers at the University of Oxford are developing an artificial intelligence-driven approach to personalised cancer vaccines

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

The researchers ultimately want to determine whether the targets selected by AI can stimulate the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells.

A key component of the programme is CIARA, an AI scientist platform being developed to study tumour biology, coordinate laboratory experiments and help researchers create personalised vaccine candidates.

Dr Lee said: "One day, a clinician may simply be able to say, 'CIARA, analyse this patient’s tumour. Predict the best immune targets. Design a personalised cancer vaccine.'

"We are now starting to build the systems that could make that future possible."

The project has expanded to involve more than 2,500 scientists, clinicians, technologists, patients and other partners.

It has also been referenced in the UK Government’s 10-Year Cancer Plan and highlighted in its AI for Science Strategy.

The programme is backed by the MRC, UK Research and Innovation, the Advanced Research and Invention Agency, the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and Cancer Research UK.

Contributors to the project include Dr Gareth Bloomfield, Dr Anthony Hsieh, Michael Bryan and Dr Jedrek Jaworski.

It comes as a leading charity has issued a dire warning about a rise in the rates of a number of cancers in adults under 50.

The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has identified seven types of cancer which have recorded "significant increases" in diagnoses for younger people in England.

The number of people under 50 diagnosed with prostate cancer in England has quadrupled since 2001, and early-onset bowel, kidney and uterine cancers have more than doubled.

While most cancers are still diagnosed in older people and rates have increased globally, the rate of rise in early-onset cases is greater than in other age groups.

WCRF analysed NHS data in England and compared diagnosis rates between 2001 and 2023 for their research.

In England, the incidence rate of prostate cancer in men under 50 jumped from one in every 100,000 people in 2001 to 3.6 in every 100,000 in 2023.

Bowel cancer rates shot up from 3.9 in 100,000 to 8.4 in 100,000 over the same period, while early-onset uterine and kidney cancer rates doubled to 3.9 and 3 per 100,000 people, respectively.

Breast cancer rates in those under 50 increased, although less sharply, from 42 to 47.5 per 100,000 in 2023, with increases also recorded in early-onset pancreatic and liver cancer rates.