Dr Dennis Wang explains his work using AI and machine learning to find the hidden patterns behind seemingly different diseases.
1 in 10 cancer patients die because of problems with their blood vessels or their heart, and 90% of dementia patients have at least one other condition. With more people living longer and developing multiple different illnesses as they age, combined with the power of new technologies like smartwatches and genetic tests, the amount of information we have about patients is too much for even the smartest doctor to handle.
But the same technological advances that have led us to generate vast amounts of data have also given us artificial intelligence and machine learning, which can handle and process vast amounts of data. To date, machine learning algorithms such as those behind Super Mario Bros and dating apps have shown superhuman capacity to learn. Dr Wang, who trained as a computer scientist, is now applying this technology to the field of medicine and look across different diseases and find the meaningful patterns behind medical data.
Dr Dennis Wang is a Senior Lecturer in Genomic Medicine with the Departments of Computer Science and Neuroscience at the University of Sheffield. Find out more about his work https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/neuroscience/staff/wang
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