Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are creating new ways of analysing images in microscopy or medical diagnostics, for example. This knowledge is paving the way for new discoveries and applications.

Among other things, these methods can be used to streamline healthcare and facilitate diagnostics in low and middle-income countries to improve global health equity.

Pocket-sized ultrasound – an ultrasound device so small that it fits in your pocket – is one such an innovation. It is a smartphone with an algorithm linked to thousands of clinical breast images, providing diagnostics where it is most needed.

Researchers contribute to the development of new Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs).

ATMPs differ from traditional drugs in the way that their active substance is produced in or taken from living cells, genes, tissues, or other biological materials.

This type of therapy includes cell and gene therapy, which is used to cure, treat or alleviate various forms of cancer.

ATMPs have the potential to revolutionise the treatment of disease. CAR-T cells are an example of an ATMP, where CAR stands for chimeric antigen receptor. In this type of therapy, the patient's immune defence cells (T lymphocytes) are modified so that they are specifically activated to target cancer cells.

Experimental models and biobanks are being developed and implemented in cancer research. One example is 3D organoids, a type of a mini-organ grown from cells, which are used to model disease progression and treatments.

Such mini-organs help healthcare professionals to improve diagnostics and develop better treatments for cancer patients.

Precision medicine, also known as individualised, personalised or stratified medicine, enables tailor-made prevention, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. These are adapted to the specific needs of each patient, for example by developing genetic profiles and using specific biomarkers.

The Childhood Cancer pilot project, part of Genomic Medicine Sweden (GMS), of which Lund University is a member, has improved diagnostics for children with cancer in Sweden. Through genetic analyses, children can now receive faster, safer and more detailed diagnoses, increasing the possibility of targeted treatment for childhood cancers.