In the US
alone, over a million new cancer cases occur each year according to the
American Cancer Society. The discovery of a ‘silver bullet’ to defeat cancer
appears unlikely any time soon. Instead, new combinations of technologies are
being used in the battle. This blog describes how OpenPOWER technologies,
POWER8, Linux and CAPI, are being used by the University of Toronto’s Computer Engineering department to improve the accuracy,
speed, and convenience of cancer treatment.
Many cancers are tumors located deep inside the human body;
head, neck and out-of-sight tumors provide special challenges. Treatment with
current methodologies, chemo-, radiation or surgery, can involve serious,
unpleasant side effects. They are difficult to control precisely, potentially
damaging healthy tissue or missing some of the cancer.
An alternative is Photodynamic Therapy (PDT). PDT systemically administers a light-sensitive drug; the simulation help to chose the best placement of multiple light sources to activate the drug and destroy the tumor.This greatly reduces the risk of
damage to other organs and body parts. But, some tumors still make precise
location difficult and risky. Running a series of Monte Carlo simulations[1]
to determine the most effective light-source placement locations can solve this.
However, such simulations are CPU intensive; running them in
a distant data center is inconvenient, expensive and impractical. Having a
dozen or more[2]
x86 processors in an operating room is not feasible due to excess power
requirements and heat generation. A University of Toronto research project is
using OpenPOWER technology to address the problem.
Using a Power8 system with the CAPI FPGA interface,
calculations are more than 64x faster (than with an x86 system[3]),
or equivalently can use many fewer nodes. Users get more simulations to
evaluate more treatment protocols, leading to safer and more effective
treatment. POWER8’s smaller physical footprint and higher power efficiency (48x
more throughput per Watt) mean it fits in the operating room without special
cooling or electrical requirements.
OpenPOWER
Systems, CAPI, FPGA, Open standards and IBM IP accelerated progress and
makes a clinical version viable. The University of Toronto core team, Jeff Cassidy,
Lothar Lilge and Vaughn Betz, continue the
development. Partnering with industry and researchers including Roswell Park
Cancer Institute (RPCI), Buffalo, NY, they anticipate early trials beginning in
2016. Find out more here.
OpenPOWER will play a key role in deployment. We wish them all success in their
work.
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