Leveraging the Power of AI in the Treatment of Cancer

Leveraging the Power of AI in the Treatment of Cancer

A project that seeks to bridge disciplines and harness the potential of a novel therapy, aiming to bring hope to patients around the world.

Rakuten Institute of Technology (RIT) x Rakuten Medical

Cancer cases continue to increase around the world, making cancer one of the leading causes of death globally*. Stemming the tide of cancer’s death toll represents one of the most pressing and challenging problems for society. Mickey Mikitani, founder and CEO of Rakuten Group, Inc., lost his father to cancer. It was during Mickey’s search for a cure for his father's cancer that he came across photoimmunotherapy and led to his investment to support the development of the company that would become Rakuten Medical, Inc. Rakuten Medical, currently one of Rakuten Group’s sister companies, is engaging in the development of an investigational anti-cancer treatment (photoimmunotherapy) based on its proprietary Alluminox™ platform.

In 2020, a dedicated team from Rakuten Institute of Technology (RIT), the global research and development organization of Rakuten Group, and Rakuten Medical’s R&D team started a collaboration to analyze clinical trial data using AI capabilities. The joint research project is focused on developing new AI-based analysis methods using patient samples from Rakuten Medical clinical trials, with the primary goal of identifying biomarkers related to treatment response. This collaborative endeavor extends its reach across international borders, with participation from teams in India, Japan, and the United States. We spoke to three RIT team members to gain insights into this project.

MEMBER

Shantanu

Director-Research

Shreya

Lead Research Scientist

Devraj

Senior Research Scientist

Bringing the analytical power of AI to therapeutics

Photoimmunotherapy is an innovative approach to cancer treatment that combines the use of drugs and light. The drug component consists of a targeting moiety conjugated to a photosensitive dye, IR700 (IRDye®700DX). The illumination with 690nm light activates the drug to selectively kill cancer cells. ASP-1929, cetuximab (anti-EGFR antibody)-IR700 conjugate, the first drug developed for use with Rakuten Medical’s Alluminox™ platform, has been approved for commercial use in Japan, and a global phase 3 clinical trial is underway in countries and regions including the United States, India, and Taiwan. The joint project between RIT and Rakuten Medical aims to utilize several AI-based techniques to analyze samples from Rakuten Medical’s clinical trials.

Shantanu explains,

　RIT became involved in the project to support the analytical aspects of the clinical trials, focusing on two primary domains: digital pathology and genomics. We were excited to contribute to this project that involves photoimmunotherapy, a technology that may treat cancer with a combination of drug and light.

Shantanu

Devraj adds,

　We realized early on that any AI analytics developed must be explainable. It couldn’t function as a black box where you feed in data and results appear as if by magic. The medical sector demands a high degree of scrutiny and accountability.

Devraj

Challenges arising from bridging different disciplines and time zones

One of the primary challenges encountered by the RIT team was adapting to the intricate terminology and nuances of the medical domain while understanding the biological aspects of cancer therapies. Despite their backgrounds in computer vision, deep learning and machine learning, collaborating with biologists at Rakuten Medical presented a significant learning curve for the RIT team.

Shantanu says,

　It was essential to demonstrate a great deal of adaptability on our side to catch up with the latest trends and bridge the gap between biology and AI. We are proud to have been able to do that.

Shantanu

Shreya agrees, noting,

　Coming from different technology backgrounds, we found that we had different ways of communicating.” Shreya goes on to mention how important it was to first learn the terminology used by the Rakuten Medical team as part of that communication.

Shreya

To overcome these challenges, the RIT team concentrated their efforts on reading up on medical literature and openly communicating with the team at Rakuten Medical. Indeed, another critical factor for success was the approachability and input from the team at Rakuten Medical. It was not unusual for online meetings to run at length as the teams discussed various matters relating to photoimmunotherapy, imaging, and genomics. Despite the time differences between India, Japan, and California, these virtual meetings bridged the geographical divide and reinforced the team’s commitment to timely and productive discussions.

Additionally, the RIT team sought to understand the fundamental aspects and technologies related to digital pathology and cancer genomics. In digital pathology, AI imaging helps to identify the drug uptake in cancer cells and find imaging data features of the tumor microenvironment relevant to photoimmunotherapy. In genomics, AI is used to define unique biological features to help predict treatment response. The team’s hard work has resulted in the development of end-to-end AI-based pipelines in both digital pathology and genomics analyses.

The collaboration between RIT and Rakuten Medical exemplifies the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, determination, and innovation. By seamlessly integrating AI expertise with clinical research, the team has overcome various challenges, laying the groundwork to help provide a beacon of hope for patients worldwide.

* Sung H, Ferlay J, Siegel RL, Laversanne M, Soerjomataram I, Jemal A, Bray F. Global cancer statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2021: 71: 209-249.
https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21660

*This article is based on the information at the time of the interview.