Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) have developed a machine learning-based computational tool to detect malignant tumours in the brain and spinal cord. Called glioblastoma mutiform drivers (GBMDriver), the tool is available publicly online.
Glioblastoma is a fast and aggressively growing tumour with limited therapeutic options and a survival rate of less than two years from the time of initial diagnosis. The GBMDriver was developed to identify mutations in glioblastoma and can be accessed at bit.ly/44ip6PZ
M. Michael Gromiha, a professor in the Department of Biotechnology at the institute, and his team led the research. The team included two alumni from Ohio State University and the National Institute of Health, U.S. Their findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Briefings in Bioinformatics.
Mr. Gromiha said: “We have identified the important amino acid features for identifying cancer-causing mutations and achieved the highest accuracy for distinguishing between driver and neutral mutations.”
He hoped that the tool (GBMDriver) would help prioritise driver mutations in glioblastoma and assist in identifying potential therapeutic targets and help develop drug design strategies. The researchers said their tool could be applied to other diseases; serve as important criteria for disease prognosis; and be a valuable resource to identify mutation-specific drug targets to design therapeutic strategies.