HP Innovation Journal Issue 14: Spring 2020 | Page 62

“We’re going from an information-poor to an information- rich scenario,” Saltz says. “Soon, patients will get a much more precise set of suggestions based on personal genetics, the specifics of their immune system, and other factors.” SEEING TUMORS FROM EVERY ANGLE IN VR Strapping on virtual reality (VR) headsets like HP’s Reverb Pro Edition, doctors can now virtually fly through representations of muscles, bones, and blood vessels, exploring the specific dimensions of the tumor they must attack from every angle. Companies such as Immersive Touch and Surgical Theater let surgeons feed traditional CT and MRI scans into a medical visualization platform, which then builds a VR representation. This view offers an unprecedented way to navigate through the tumor and nearby anatomy for surgical planning and testing a procedure using virtual instruments. It also allows specialists anywhere in the world to collaborate virtually on the best treatment plan for difficult cases. “You can do things you can’t do in the real world, like blow up a tumor’s size and stand inside it,” says MaryKate Mahoney, HP’s Healthcare VR Global Lead. “You can segment and color-code different tissue to get a better picture of what you’re attacking.” Mahoney says HP is one of the organizations pushing the VR envelope in healthcare, with new hardware capabilities set to roll out later this year, including personalized surgical planning aids and enhanced spatial audio that lets a wearer hear sound in three dimensions. She predicts a future in which technology merges the virtual and real worlds in the operating room, where doctors will use augmented reality glasses while performing surgery, and computers will overlay their field of vision with critical data like a patient’s vital signs and AI-powered visual aids to guide procedures. MORE PRECISE, PERSONALIZED TREATMENTS Molecular information is also at the heart of treatments scientists are developing to target a patient’s unique disease. Clinicians now routinely perform DNA sequencing on biopsies to understand a cancer cell’s genetic blueprint, informing therapies that can target specific molecules on the surface of, or within, a patient’s cancer cells. These selective pharmaceuticals can stop gene expression in particular cancer cells or tell them to self-destruct, unlike older medicines, which lay waste to all fast- replicating cells, whether they’re cancerous or not. Researchers are also excited about an approach called immunotherapy, which trains a patient’s immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. In one example, a company called Precision BioSciences edits the DNA in one kind of white blood cells so they can recognize specific diseases. Doctors then infuse these altered cells back into the patient to fight the disease. “Old chemotherapies were generic, not specifically targeted, and very toxic,” Saltz says. “Targeted therapies are remarkably effective, and their effects can last for years.” LESS INVASIVE “LIQUID” BIOPSIES AND BETTER RESEARCH TOOLS With today’s precision treatments tuned to work at the cellular level, scientists and doctors need an even clearer view of the tumors they’re treating. Enter the world of microfluidics, the science of fluid flow at microscopic scales using tiny pumps, tubes, and other components. “The potential of these technologies isn’t sci-fi anymore.” —M ARYKATE MAHONEY HP’s Healthcare VR Global Lead