FINDING a matching stem cell donor is often a race against time for patients whose lives depend on it but as artificial intelligence (AI) revolutionises healthcare it might be the answer for those who desperately need bone marrow transplants.
South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) deputy director Jane Ward said AI’s role in speeding up the turnaround time in stem cell donor matching and transplantation was being investigated by stem cell registries worldwide.
She said for individuals with limited access to facilities and those without medical insurance, AI could be a game changer.
“The perfect match is a 10 out of 10 match. So a donor matches a patient 10 out of 10 and if there are no 10 out of 10 matches, transplant centres then go to a nine out of 10 or an eight out of 10 match, which we refer to as mismatched donors. The list then goes to the physician, and they decide on the best match. With the advancement of AI and the potential of AI, we could potentially be able to find the perfect mismatched donor for a patient,” said Ward.
She said the successful use of AI in the healthcare space had already been proven: during the Covid-19 pandemic, scientists were able to produce vaccines much more quickly than it would have ordinarily taken.
“Embracing this technology could reshape our industry. Not only will it speed up the search and match process, but it would free up staff to spend one-on-one time with patients and their loved ones. AI’s ability to quickly analyse vast amounts of genetic data streamlines the identification of compatible donors, drastically shortening the timeline and offering a faster, more efficient route for patients in urgent need of stem cell transplants,” said Ward.
She said AI also had the potential to save more lives by ensuring that patients received timely diagnoses and preventative care if it was used during cancer screening. “It is especially critical for those with life-threatening conditions, such as leukaemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, aplastic anaemia, sickle cell disease, thalassemia and other blood disorders, where time is often a decisive factor in treatment success.
“This advancement is not just enhancing healthcare accessibility, but also democratising healthcare services, ensuring that no one is left behind.”
Ward said while technology could never replace the human touch, it could go a long way towards ensuring better health outcomes.
“AI has massive potential, but registries remain a people business. While it is an exciting time for us, there is still a way to go before this is fully implemented. There are challenges that present itself in the form of ethics, regulation and responsibility and we need to get the basics right first.
“The hurdles which need to be overcome include using the right data, because only 4% of data is considered AI ready as many organisations still use a paper trail and not all data is digitised,” said Ward.
Following ethics was also important to ensure that AI was used responsibly and that there was intellectual property regulation and accountability. She said the cost of AI was also prohibitive as software development was expensive, and many registries were not funded by governments. Despite this, said Ward, AI is the future and not adapting and moving with the times was a major risk.
“If this means we can better serve our patients and find matches more easily, then there is no question that this technology is needed. Our mission and vision have and always will be to give our patients the best care and the second chance at life that they so deserve.”
Ward has called on people between the ages of 16 and 45 to register as donors so that more people have a chance at life.