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Tech entrepreneur Paul Conyngham used AI and RNA technology to create a personalized cancer vaccine for his dog Rose after being told she had just months to live
The vaccine reduced Rose’s cancer by 75% and significantly improved her mobility and quality of life, he told Today Show Australia
Experts believe this breakthrough could have future applications for treating human diseases like neurological disorders
A dedicated pet owner helped treat his dog’s terminal cancer by running her tumor’s genetic code through an AI chatbot, creating a vaccine just for her.
“Rose is my best mate and she’s been with me through really tough times,” Sydney tech entrepreneur Paul Conyngham told Today Show Australia of his 8-year-old black staffy-shar pei mix. “When she was handed this sentence, I felt I had to do my part for her as well.”
He sequenced the DNA in her tumor and “converted it from tissue to data,” he explained, then “used that to sort of search for the problem in her DNA.” With the assistance of ChatGPT, and the genetics program at University of New South Wales, he was able to pinpoint the problem, and then develop an RNA vaccine specifically for her type of cancer.
As Conyngham said in an article from UNSW, “The price was $3000, which is probably beyond what most people would spend on this problem, but I thought screw it. It’s worth a shot.”
Professor Pall Thordarson, the director of the RNA Institute at UNSW, told Today that, at first, he was a bit skeptical. “Mainly just I thought this might take too long, and I guess one of the things we learned from this process … the technology, even though we’ve been working similar MRNA for years, I just didn’t think we could do this this quickly, and it would be in time to really help Rosie. So it’s just been an amazing project for us to be involved in.”
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He shared that once they had the sequence, “it was less than two months from that point, till we handed it over to Paul who took it to the vet to help her.”
Thordarson shared that there are implications for humans as well, explaining, “We can also use it for other diseases, possibly … neurological diseases, for instance.”
Stock image of ChatGPT open on someone’s phone
Credit: Scott Olson/Getty
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As for Rose, “It’s added considerable lifespan and health,” Conyngham said. Although the vaccine was not a cure, “it pushed back about 75% of the cancer. So, it shrunk it all down. There was just a little bit that didn’t respond.”
Conyngham said it took “about a month” before Rose responded to the vaccine, explaining, “At the start of December, her mobility was way down. She started to shut down and be a bit sad. Towards the end of January, she was jumping over a fence to chase a rabbit. “
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