Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation awards €1.5 million for AI-assisted leukaemia study
The Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation has awarded a €1.5 million grant for a study titled “Artificial Intelligence and Omics Measurements for Selecting Treatments in Childhood and Adolescent Leukaemia”. The study, a collaboration between Tampere University and the University of Eastern Finland, is coordinated by Professor Olli Lohi from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology (MET) at Tampere University.
Approximately 5,000 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) are diagnosed annually in children and adolescents in Europe. ALL can be categorised into T-cell leukaemia and B-cell leukaemia. While current treatments can cure around 80% of T-ALL cases and 90% of B-ALL cases, they are lengthy and come with significant side effects.
The new study seeks to develop more effective and less harmful combination and immunotherapy treatments. The researchers will seek to discover and optimise new treatments based on the signalling pathways of B-cell and T-cell receptors and the metabolism of leukaemia cells as well as leverage the body’s immune system to enhance treatment responses. In addition, they will employ the latest AI applications to analyse and predict treatment responses based on multi-dimensional biological data.
“This research grant enables us to continue our work to develop the treatment of leukaemia in children and adolescents. In the new study, we will continue developing the drug treatments we have previously discovered and investigate how the cells involved in immune defence can be harnessed to support the treatment of leukaemia. With the help of AI, we will attempt to predict the ideal treatment option for each individual patient,” Professor Lohi says.
The partners from the University of Eastern Finland include Professor Merja Heinäniemi and Professor Sui Huang from the Institute of Biomedicine and Associate Professor Ville Hautamäki from the School of Computing. Tampere University will receive €675,000 and the University of Eastern Finland €825,000 of the research grant. The five-year study is set to begin on 1 January 2025.
