Australian Entrepreneur Uses ChatGPT To Create Customised Vaccine To Cure Dog's Cancer

Paul Conyngham, a tech entrepreneur from Australia, claimed that he used artificial intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT to create a personalised cancer vaccine for his rescue dog, Rosie. The eight-year-old dog, a Staffy-Shar Pei cross, was diagnosed with mast cell cancer. Large tumours appeared on one of her back legs, and she was given only months to live, The Australian reported. However, Conyngham was not ready to take no for an answer. He turned to AI for help after traditional treatments failed to stop the tumour's growth. With 17 years of experience in machine learning and data analysis, he used ChatGPT to develop a plan and an AI program, AlphaFold, to analyse protein structures linked to cancer.

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The custom mRNA vaccine was designed to target specific mutations in Rosie's tumour. Conyngham worked with researchers at the University of New South Wales to develop the vaccine, which was administered to Rosie in December.

"We took her tumour, sequenced the DNA, we converted it from tissue to data, and we used that to find the problem in her DNA and then develop a cure based off that," Conyngham said while speaking during the Today Show on Saturday. "ChatGPT assisted throughout that entire process."

The tumour has reportedly shrunk by half, and Rosie is showing significant improvement. In fact, Conyngham was even shocked to see her jump over a fence while chasing a rabbit.

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"In December, she had low energy because the tumours were creating a huge burden for her," Conyngham said. "Six weeks post-treatment, I was at the dog park when she spotted a rabbit and jumped the fence to chase it. I'm under no illusion that this is a cure, but I do believe this treatment has bought Rosie significantly more time and quality of life."

Conyngham faced regulatory hurdles, taking three months to obtain ethics approval for the treatment. The story highlights the potential of AI in personalised medicine and cancer treatment. Experts praise Conyngham's innovative approach, which could pave the way for new cancer therapies.