AI Research

Researchers develop biosensor based on light and AI for early diagnosis of cancer

Published

13 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Illustration of the high-sensitivity detection of trace amounts of cancer DNA in blood and its analysis using an AI-based method. Credit: Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS)

Dr. Ho Sang Jung and his research team from the Advanced Bio and Healthcare Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) have developed an optical biosensor capable of detecting trace amounts of cancer cell DNA in the bloodstream with high sensitivity, enabling early cancer diagnosis.

The findings are published in the journal Advanced Science.

Compared to conventional liquid biopsy techniques, this biosensor offers superior sensitivity and specificity, and its standout feature lies in its ability to diagnose cancer early using only light signals and AI-based analysis, without the need for complex testing procedures.

When cancer cells develop, subtle chemical changes occur on the surface of DNA in the bloodstream—a phenomenon known as DNA methylation.

In the early stages of cancer, the concentration of methylated DNA is extremely low, making it difficult to detect with conventional biosensors at high sensitivity.

To overcome this challenge, the research team developed a biosensor material technology that enables the detection of methylated DNA using high-sensitivity optical signals and artificial intelligence analysis, without requiring additional processing or complex analysis steps.

The research team integrated high-sensitivity optical signaling and artificial intelligence analysis with plasmonic materials. These materials can amplify the optical signals of DNA molecules by more than 100 million times in response to light, enabling the detection of even extremely small amounts of DNA.

As a result, the biosensor is capable of identifying methylated DNA at concentrations as low as 25 fg/mL (femtograms per milliliter) in the early stages of cancer development. To put this in perspective, 25 fg/mL is equivalent to dissolving 1/25,000th of a sugar grain in a single drop of water. This represents a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity compared to conventional biosensors.

The research team applied the developed biosensor to blood samples from 60 colorectal cancer patients, achieving a 99% accuracy rate in detecting the presence of cancer. Moreover, the biosensor successfully distinguished between cancer stages from Stage I to Stage IV with high precision.

The analysis required only 100 μL (microliters) of blood and was completed within 20 minutes, demonstrating a highly simple and rapid diagnostic process.

This technology enables the high-sensitivity detection of trace amounts of cancer DNA without any pre-processing, making it highly competitive for use in the early cancer diagnosis market.

Compared to conventional equipment, it significantly reduces both analysis time and cost, allowing for potential application in hospitals, health screening centers, at-home diagnostic kits, and portable diagnostic devices. It is not only suitable for precision medicine, but also highly effective for Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) applications.

Dr. Ho Sang Jung, Senior Researcher at KIMS and lead of the project, stated, “This technology serves as a next-generation diagnostic platform capable not only of early cancer detection, but also of predicting prognosis and monitoring treatment response.

“We plan to expand its application to a wide range of diseases, including autoimmune disorders and neurological conditions.”

More information:
Muhammad Shalahuddin Al Ja’farawy et al, Plasmonic Molecular Entrapment for Label‐Free Methylated DNA Detection and Machine‐Learning Assisted Quantification, Advanced Science (2025). DOI: 10.1002/advs.202503257

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AI Research

Indonesia on Track to Achieve Sovereign AI Goals With NVIDIA, Cisco and IOH

Published

2 hours ago

July 11, 2025

Soma Velayutham

As one of the world’s largest emerging markets, Indonesia is making strides toward its “Golden 2045 Vision” — an initiative tapping digital technologies and bringing together government, enterprises, startups and higher education to enhance productivity, efficiency and innovation across industries.

Building out the nation’s AI infrastructure is a crucial part of this plan.

That’s why Indonesian telecommunications leader Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, aka Indosat or IOH, has partnered with Cisco and NVIDIA to support the establishment of Indonesia’s AI Center of Excellence (CoE). Led by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs, called Komdigi, the CoE aims to advance secure technologies, cultivate local talent and foster innovation through collaboration with startups.

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison President Director and CEO Vikram Sinha, Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins and NVIDIA Senior Vice President of Telecom Ronnie Vasishta today detailed the purpose and potential of the CoE during a fireside chat at Indonesia AI Day, a conference focused on how artificial intelligence can fuel the nation’s digital independence and economic growth.

As part of the CoE, a new NVIDIA AI Technology Center will offer research support, NVIDIA Inception program benefits for eligible startups, and NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute training and certification to upskill local talent.

“With the support of global partners, we’re accelerating Indonesia’s path to economic growth by ensuring Indonesians are not just users of AI, but creators and innovators,” Sinha added.

“The AI era demands fundamental architectural shifts and a workforce with digital skills to thrive,” Robbins said. “Together with Indosat, NVIDIA and Komdigi, Cisco will securely power the AI Center of Excellence — enabling innovation and skills development, and accelerating Indonesia’s growth.”

“Democratizing AI is more important than ever,” Vasishta added. “Through the new NVIDIA AI Technology Center, we’re helping Indonesia build a sustainable AI ecosystem that can serve as a model for nations looking to harness AI for innovation and economic growth.”

Making AI More Accessible

The Indonesia AI CoE will comprise an AI factory that features full-stack NVIDIA AI infrastructure — including NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs, NVIDIA Cloud Partner reference architectures and NVIDIA AI Enterprise software — as well as an intelligent security system powered by Cisco.

Called the Sovereign Security Operations Center Cloud Platform, the Cisco-powered system combines AI-based threat detection, localized data control and managed security services for the AI factory.

Building on the sovereign AI initiatives Indonesia’s technology leaders announced with NVIDIA last year, the CoE will bolster the nation’s AI strategy through four core pillars:

Some 28 independent software vendors and startups are already using IOH’s NVIDIA-powered AI infrastructure to develop cutting-edge technologies that can speed and ease workflows across higher education and research, food security, bureaucratic reform, smart cities and mobility, and healthcare.

With Indosat’s coverage across the archipelago, the company can reach hundreds of millions of Bahasa Indonesian speakers with its large language model (LLM)-powered applications.

For example, using Indosat’s Sahabat-AI collection of Bahasa Indonesian LLMs, the Indonesia government and Hippocratic AI are collaborating to develop an AI agent system that provides preventative outreach capabilities, such as helping women subscribers over the age of 50 schedule a mammogram. This can help prevent or combat breast cancer and other health complications across the population.

Separately, Sahabat-AI also enables Indosat’s AI chatbot to answer queries in the Indonesian language for various citizen and resident services. A person could ask about processes for updating their national identification card, as well as about tax rates, payment procedures, deductions and more.

In addition, a government-led forum is developing trustworthy AI frameworks tailored to Indonesian values for the safe, responsible development of artificial intelligence and related policies.

Looking forward, Indosat and NVIDIA plan to deploy AI-RAN technologies that can reach even broader audiences using AI over wireless networks.

Learn more about NVIDIA-powered AI infrastructure for telcos.

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