In a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers talked about a new smart robot they developed to accelerate studying cancer treatments and facilitate the selection of drug combinations for optimum results.

Cancer, like many complex diseases, is mostly treated with a regimen that combines several different drugs. The combinations these drugs produce are not necessarily the best for the patient, but are more often chosen based on their individual effects. The new robot system developed by Mats Gustafsson and colleagues is designed to zero in on optimal conditions, planning and conducting its own experiments on numerous substances then drawing conclusions from results gathered.

Claes Andersson, one of the leading scientists for the study, explained that developing the new robot was guided by the goal to gradually improve the combination of substances so cancer cells are targeted specifically, preventing healthy cells from being harmed.

More than just combining a couple of substances, the new robot is capable of handling a dozen medications at a time. However, the researchers are aiming to develop the system further so much so that it will have the ability to handle combinations involving hundreds of drugs.

Gustafsson said that his lab is one of the few currently equipped with the new robot system, but mostly researchers have been using it to simply search for combinations focused on killing cancer cells, paying no mind to potential side effects resulting from the combinations.

Besides designing the robot to handle more elaborate combinations, researchers are keen on devising it to become more automated as well as smarter. At the moment, the robot still requires a few manual steps to set up, but the researchers know that these can be automated in the future.

To make the robot smarter, the researchers are looking into building a better guiding algorithm for it. To do so, the researchers must also gain more knowledge in crucial areas of cancer treatment research, such as disease pathways and drug targets.

Remission occurs when cancer cells develop a resistance to drugs, rendering a treatment option useless. Aside from suggesting new drug combinations to replace previous treatments, the new robot can also be used to research new substances that can return sensitivity to cancer cells that have turned resistant.

The study was supported by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research's "Tools for diagnosis and drug discovery in cancer" framework project and the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.