Weeping at technology conferences isn’t exactly common — no matter how transcendent a future their speakers portray. But the opening video for Micron Insight 2019’s panel discussion on precision medicine left hardly a dry eye in the house.
Who would not shed a tear after hearing the inspiring story of a woman named Beth and her miraculous recovery from an aggressive and invasive cancer? Even as she said her goodbyes, the medical team at Oregon Health Sciences University’s Knight Cancer Institute was matching her DNA with cancer-fighting drugs to discover a combination that would ultimately send her into rapid and complete remission.
“It’s a reminder of what a transformational time we live in,” said Dr. Bambi DeLaRosa, Healthcare Artificial Intelligence principal investigator at Micron. DeLaRosa, moderator of the Micron Insight 2019 panel discussion “The Rise of Personalized Medicine,” admitted that, when seeing the video that tells Beth’s tale, she choked up as well.
It may not be long before success stories such as Beth’s become the norm in cancer treatment. Advances in DNA sequencing, artificial intelligence and memory, among other technologies, are enabling oncologists to choose medicines more effectively and quickly — within hours instead of weeks — for a growing number of cancer patients.
During the 2019 discussion, DeLaRosa spoke with experts at the intersection of medicine and technology about the remarkable progress made in recent years in precision cancer medicine — and the obstacles yet to overcome.
At OHSU, scientists are working side by side with Micron memory and storage experts to better analyze data for cancer-fighting treatments and other complex diseases using technology-powered precision medicine.
How long will it be until this dream becomes reality? Watch the video to learn one expert’s surprising prediction.
Years later, Beth is enjoying life and giving thanks for every day. To find out what matters most to her now, watch this video — but first get your tissue ready.