Opportunities for Artificial Intelligence in Advancing Precision Medicine

Abstract

Purpose of review: We critically evaluate the future potential of machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and artificial intelligence (AI) in precision medicine. The goal of this work is to show progress in ML in digital health, to exemplify future needs and trends, and to identify any essential prerequisites of AI and ML for precision health.

Recent findings: High-throughput technologies are delivering growing volumes of biomedical data, such as large-scale genome-wide sequencing assays; libraries of medical images; or drug perturbation screens of healthy, developing, and diseased tissue. Multi-omics data in biomedicine is deep and complex, offering an opportunity for data-driven insights and automated disease classification. Learning from these data will open our understanding and definition of healthy baselines and disease signatures. State-of-the-art applications of deep neural networks include digital image recognition, single-cell clustering, and virtual drug screens, demonstrating breadths and power of ML in biomedicine.

Summary: Significantly, AI and systems biology have embraced big data challenges and may enable novel biotechnology-derived therapies to facilitate the implementation of precision medicine approaches.

Keywords: AI; DL; DNN; Deep learning; Digital health; Digital pathology; ML; Machine learning; Multi-omics; Precision medicine; Single-cell transcriptomics; Spatial transcriptomics; Systems biology.

Fig. 1

Machine learning applications using big data in precision health