IIIT Delhi team builds GenAI platform to trace cancer causes

Researchers at Delhi's Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) have developed MutAIverse, a generative AI platform that can trace the environmental exposure likely to have caused a patient's cancer. Described as the world's first such platform, it was tested on 27 head and neck cancer patients in Guwahati, Assam, and successfully identified smokeless tobacco as the probable root cause in those cases.

The AI works by analysing DNA damage in tumour biopsies and backtracking to identify the specific chemical or toxin responsible. MutAIverse also expanded the existing reference library of DNA adducts, toxic chemicals that can attach to DNA and cause mutations, from fewer than 400 to over three lakh. The platform was developed in collaboration with NIPER Guwahati and CSIR-IGIB, and the findings are published in the Journal of Cheminformatics.

Lead author Gaurav Ahuja said the tool acts like a detective, tracing footprints from damaged DNA to the original carcinogen. While experts caution that the AI does not yet conclusively prove causation, the researchers believe MutAIverse can be a valuable screening tool, helping patients avoid further exposure and warning others facing similar risks.