TOKYO, Nov. 10, 2020 — Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and Fujitsu Laboratories Limited have recently completed, in less than a day, estimation of the network that represents the influence relationship between genes and prediction of their relationship with infiltration and metastasis based on genes highly likely to be involved in cancer development. TMDU and Fujitsu achieved this leveraging Fujitsu Laboratories’ explainable AI technology “Deep Tensor” with the world’s fastest supercomputer, Fugaku, which was jointly developed by RIKEN and Fujitsu. The project was conceived under the theme of “elucidation of the cause and diversity of cancer using large-scale data analysis and AI technology” as part of the supercomputer Fugaku achievement acceleration program being promoted by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology from May 2020 to March 2023.

Even with supercomputers available at universities, it previously took several months to extract network structures representing the behavior of genes likely related to the disease state of cancer from genetic data and to predict the disease state. This presented difficulties to researchers working to discover new mechanisms of cancer that could not be understood at the individual gene level and incorporate these findings into research.

Harnessing the power of the world’s fastest supercomputer, Fugaku, Fujitsu and TMDU were able to extract a network representing the regulatory relationships among genes in epithelial cancer cells from the analysis of data with 20,000 genes, predict their relationship with infiltration and metastasis using Deep Tensor technology developed by Fujitsu Laboratories, and present prediction models.

Moving forward, TMDU and Fujitsu Laboratories will continue to shed light onto capturing the causes and diversity of cancer, as well as contribute to the enhancement of industrial competitiveness by accelerating the use of the supercomputer Fugaku in the field of AI.

Background

The human body contains tens of trillions of cells, each of which store the genome, the program of life. Cancer is an extremely complex group of cells that have undergone mutations and abnormalities in their genomes. In recent research, cancer genome analysis across cancer types has revealed a new carcinogenesis mechanism in which mutations synergistically promote the development of cancer. Understanding how these cancers develop and acquire diversity represents a critical challenge for medical researchers.

In April 2020, Tokyo Medical and Dental University established the M&D Data Science Center as a foundation for data science in medicine and dentistry, with the aim of creating one of the world’s leading health care science centers. In order to apply the findings of the Center to clinical trials and deploy them in the real world, TMDU plans to establish a system that generates useful knowledge for research from large amounts of data using AI.

In collaboration with Fujitsu Laboratories, TMDU is collecting large amounts of detailed and comprehensive data obtained using the latest observation technology and advancing high-speed sequence analysis and network analysis using artificial intelligence technology with the Fugaku supercomputer. Leveraging Fujitsu Laboratories’ explainable AI technology “Deep Tensor,” it was possible to present, in an academic context, comprehensive insights into infiltration and metastasis that have been discovered in more than 10 years of research on epithelial cancer in a form that is easy to understand, including information on the differences in the characteristics of network structures that represent the regulatory relationships between genes in epithelial cancer cells.

About Tokyo Medical and Dental University

TMDU is located in the Yushima / Shoheizaka area, which is considered the sacred birthplace of scholarship and learning in Japan. As a comprehensive medical university, TMDU cultivates “professionals with knowledge and humanity” who embark on a lifetime of service, advancing the health and social welfare of people in the local community and spreading their wings to do the same in other communities across the globe.

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu is a leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 130,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.9 trillion yen (US$35 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. For more information, please see www.fujitsu.com.

About Fujitsu Laboratories

Founded in 1968 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. is one of the premier research centers in the world. With a global network of laboratories in Japan, China, the United States and Europe, the organization conducts a wide range of basic and applied research in the areas of Next-generation Services, Computer Servers, Networks, Electronic Devices and Advanced Materials. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/labs/en/.

For details of the initiative: https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2020/1110-01.html

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Source: Fujitsu Limited