A Method for the Interpretation of Flow Cytometry Data Using Genetic Algorithms

Challenging gold standard hematology diagnostics through the introduction of whole genome sequencing and artificial intelligence

The diagnosis of hematological malignancies is rather complex and requires the application of a plethora of different assays, techniques and methodologies. Some of the methods, like cytomorphology, have been in use for decades, while other methods, such as next-generation sequencing or even whole genome sequencing (WGS), are relatively new. The application of the methods and the evaluation of the results require distinct skills and knowledge and place different demands on the practitioner. However, even with experienced hematologists, diagnostic ambiguity remains a regular occurrence and the comprehensive analysis of high-dimensional WGS data soon exceeds any human's capacity. Hence, in order to reduce inter-observer variability and to improve the timeliness and accuracy of diagnoses, machine learning based approaches have been developed to assist in the decision making process. Moreover, to achieve the goal of precision oncology, comprehensive genomic profiling is increasingly being incorporated into routine standard of care.

Digital pathology and artificial intelligence as the next chapter in diagnostic hematopathology

Digital pathology has a crucial role in diagnostic pathology and is increasingly a technological requirement in the field. Integration of digital slides into the pathology workflow, advanced algorithms, and computer-aided diagnostic techniques extend the frontiers of the pathologist's view beyond the microscopic slide and enable true integration of knowledge and expertise. There is clear potential for artificial intelligence (AI) breakthroughs in pathology and hematopathology. In this review article, we discuss the approach of using machine learning in the diagnosis, classification, and treatment guidelines of hematolymphoid disease, as well as recent progress of artificial intelligence in flow cytometric analysis of hematolymphoid diseases. We review these topics specifically through the potential clinical applications of CellaVision, an automated digital image analyzer of peripheral blood, and Morphogo, a novel artificial intelligence-based bone marrow analyzing system. Adoption of these new technologies will allow pathologists to streamline workflow and achieve faster turnaround time in diagnosing hematological disease.

Artificial intelligence in clinical multiparameter flow cytometry and mass cytometry-key tools and progress

There are many research studies and emerging tools using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to augment flow and mass cytometry workflows. Emerging AI tools can quickly identify common cell populations with continuous improvement of accuracy, uncover patterns in high-dimensional cytometric data that are undetectable by human analysis, facilitate the discovery of cell subpopulations, perform semi-automated immune cell profiling, and demonstrate potential to automate aspects of clinical multiparameter flow cytometric (MFC) diagnostic workflow. Utilizing AI in the analysis of cytometry samples can reduce subjective variability and assist in breakthroughs in understanding diseases. Here we review the diverse types of AI that are being applied to clinical cytometry data and how AI is driving advances in data analysis to improve diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy. We review supervised and unsupervised clustering algorithms for cell population identification, various dimensionality reduction techniques, and their utilities in visualization and machine learning pipelines, and supervised learning approaches for classifying entire cytometry samples.Understanding the AI landscape will enable pathologists to better utilize open source and commercially available tools, plan exploratory research projects to characterize diseases, and work with machine learning and data scientists to implement clinical data analysis pipelines.

Artificial intelligence in hematological diagnostics: Game changer or gadget?

The future of clinical diagnosis and treatment of hematologic diseases will inevitably involve the integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-based systems into routine practice to support the hematologists' decision making. Several studies have shown that AI-based models can already be used to automatically differentiate cells, reliably detect malignant cell populations, support chromosome banding analysis, and interpret clinical variants, contributing to early disease detection and prognosis. However, even the best tool can become useless if it is misapplied or the results are misinterpreted. Therefore, in order to comprehensively judge and correctly apply newly developed AI-based systems, the hematologist must have a basic understanding of the general concepts of machine learning. In this review, we provide the hematologist with a comprehensive overview of various machine learning techniques, their current implementations and approaches in different diagnostic subfields (e.g., cytogenetics, molecular genetics), and the limitations and unresolved challenges of the systems.

How artificial intelligence might disrupt diagnostics in hematology in the near future

Artificial intelligence (AI) is about to make itself indispensable in the health care sector. Examples of successful applications or promising approaches range from the application of pattern recognition software to pre-process and analyze digital medical images, to deep learning algorithms for subtype or disease classification, and digital twin technology and in silico clinical trials. Moreover, machine-learning techniques are used to identify patterns and anomalies in electronic health records and to perform ad-hoc evaluations of gathered data from wearable health tracking devices for deep longitudinal phenotyping. In the last years, substantial progress has been made in automated image classification, reaching even superhuman level in some instances. Despite the increasing awareness of the importance of the genetic context, the diagnosis in hematology is still mainly based on the evaluation of the phenotype. Either by the analysis of microscopic images of cells in cytomorphology or by the analysis of cell populations in bidimensional plots obtained by flow cytometry. Here, AI algorithms not only spot details that might escape the human eye, but might also identify entirely new ways of interpreting these images. With the introduction of high-throughput next-generation sequencing in molecular genetics, the amount of available information is increasing exponentially, priming the field for the application of machine learning approaches. The goal of all the approaches is to allow personalized and informed interventions, to enhance treatment success, to improve the timeliness and accuracy of diagnoses, and to minimize technically induced misclassifications. The potential of AI-based applications is virtually endless but where do we stand in hematology and how far can we go?

Artificial intelligence in oncology: From bench to clinic

In the past few years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques have been applied to almost every facet of oncology, from basic research to drug development and clinical care. In the clinical arena where AI has perhaps received the most attention, AI is showing promise in enhancing and automating image-based diagnostic approaches in fields such as radiology and pathology. Robust AI applications, which retain high performance and reproducibility over multiple datasets, extend from predicting indications for drug development to improving clinical decision support using electronic health record data. In this article, we review some of these advances. We also introduce common concepts and fundamentals of AI and its various uses, along with its caveats, to provide an overview of the opportunities and challenges in the field of oncology. Leveraging AI techniques productively to provide better care throughout a patient's medical journey can fuel the predictive promise of precision medicine.

Application of machine learning in the management of acute myeloid leukemia: current practice and future prospects

Machine learning (ML) is rapidly emerging in several fields of cancer research. ML algorithms can deal with vast amounts of medical data and provide a better understanding of malignant disease. Its ability to process information from different diagnostic modalities and functions to predict prognosis and suggest therapeutic strategies indicates that ML is a promising tool for the future management of hematologic malignancies; acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a model disease of various recent studies. An integration of these ML techniques into various applications in AML management can assure fast and accurate diagnosis as well as precise risk stratification and optimal therapy. Nevertheless, these techniques come with various pitfalls and need a strict regulatory framework to ensure safe use of ML. This comprehensive review highlights and discusses recent advances in ML techniques in the management of AML as a model disease of hematologic neoplasms, enabling researchers and clinicians alike to critically evaluate this upcoming, potentially practice-changing technology.

A Clinically Applicable Approach to the Classification of B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas with Flow Cytometry and Machine Learning

The immunophenotype is a key element to classify B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas (B-NHL); while it is routinely obtained through immunohistochemistry, the use of flow cytometry (FC) could bear several advantages. However, few FC laboratories can rely on a long-standing practical experience, and the literature in support is still limited; as a result, the use of FC is generally restricted to the analysis of lymphomas with bone marrow or peripheral blood involvement. In this work, we applied machine learning to our database of 1465 B-NHL samples from different sources, building four artificial predictive systems which could classify B-NHL in up to nine of the most common clinico-pathological entities. Our best model shows an overall accuracy of 92.68%, a mean sensitivity of 88.54% and a mean specificity of 98.77%. Beyond the clinical applicability, our models demonstrate (i) the strong discriminatory power of MIB1 and Bcl2, whose integration in the predictive model significantly increased the performance of the algorithm; (ii) the potential usefulness of some non-canonical markers in categorizing B-NHL; and (iii) that FC markers should not be described as strictly positive or negative according to fixed thresholds, but they rather correlate with different B-NHL depending on their level of expression.