CHARM (Cryosection Histopathology Assessment and Review Machine)

2023: Neural Network Announcement

On July 7, 2023, American researchers from Harvard Medical School announced the development of a new technology based on artificial intelligence, which provides the ability to determine the subtype of cancer during the removal of a brain tumor.

Accurate molecular diagnostics, which detail changes DNA in the cell, during surgery can help a neurosurgeon decide how much brain tissue needs to be removed during a procedure to eliminate a malignant one. formations At the same time, the removal of too much tissue, when the tumor is less aggressive, can affect the neurological and cognitive function of the patient. On the other hand, if too little is removed, when the tumor is very aggressive, malignant tissue can remain, which can quickly spread in the body.

A neural network has been created that defines the subtype of cancer during the removal of a brain tumor

A new tool called CHARM (Cryosection Histopathology Assessment and Review Machine) allows diagnostics to be performed directly during surgery. We are talking about the detection of glioma - a tumor that affects the glial cells of the brain or spinal cord.

It is said that the proposed method successfully recorded the visual characteristics of the tissue surrounding the malignant cells. In particular, areas with higher cell density and greater cell death have been found that signal more aggressive types of glioma.

The researchers say that while the model has been trained and tested on glioma samples, it can be successfully retrained to identify other subtypes of brain cancer. Scientists have already developed AI models to profile other types of malignancies - colon, lung, breast - but gliomas remain particularly complex because of their molecular features and the huge variety of shape and appearance of tumor cells.^[1]

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