Netflix-style algorithm builds blueprint of cancer genomes

The science behind your Netflix viewing habits could soon be used to guide doctors in managing cancer, according to new research co-led by UCL scientists and funded by Cancer Research UK and Cancer Grand Challenges. In the study an international team of scientists used artificial intelligence (AI) to investigate and categorise the size and scale of DNA changes across the genome - a cell's complete genetic code - when cancer starts and grows. Using AI, the scientists have identified 21 common faults that occur to the structure, order and number of copies of DNA present when cancer starts and grows. These common faults, called copy number signatures, could help guide doctors to treatments which reflect the characteristics of the tumour. When you watch Netflix, data are generated about the type of films and TV series you watch, how frequently you watch them and whether you give them a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down". Netflix uses an algorithm to analyse this massive amount of data, find patterns in the content you watch and then recommends new films and TV series when you scroll through Netflix. A team of researchers led by Dr Nischalan Pillay (UCL Cancer Institute) and Dr Ludmil Alexandrov (University of California, San Diego), built a similar algorithm which can sift through thousands of lines of genomic data and pick out common patterns in how the chromosomes organise and arrange themselves.