Created: 2025.10.06. 12:21
Dr István Peták, cancer researcher and research professor at Széchenyi István University, together with his colleagues, was the first to develop an artificial-intelligence-based medical software that supports the selection of molecularly personalised, targeted anti-cancer therapies. The Digital Development Centre of Széchenyi István University also took part in the development, with its experts contributing to speeding up data entry. The internationally recognised physician gave a lecture to a packed audience on this healthcare technology innovation at the University’s Győr Innovation Park.
Recently, Dr István Peták, molecular pharmacologist, Gábor Dénes Prize-winning researcher, founder of Oncompass Medicine and Boston-based Genomate Health, and research professor at Széchenyi István University, gave a lecture entitled “The Revolution of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine” at the Győr Innovation Park. The renowned researcher focuses on precision oncology and the personalised application of molecularly targeted anti-cancer drugs. The latest results of his research team were published in May this year, examining the effectiveness of the artificial intelligence they developed. Their work has been recognised by several Hungarian and international organisations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology and Digital Europe, an alliance of European technology companies.
Dr István Peták, research professor at Széchenyi István University, gave an inspiring lecture on his achievements in cancer research at the University’s Győr Innovation Park (Photo: András Adorján)
As an introduction to the event, Dr Péter Prukner, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Electrical Engineering at Széchenyi István University and Head of the Medtech & Sporttech Division of the Digital Development Centre, presented their healthcare technology developments. These included a surgical streaming platform capable of involving several hundred participants, an eye-tracking device, and a rehabilitation application supporting recovery at home. The institution also contributed to the success of the project led by Dr Peták. “The software operating with artificial intelligence requires vast amounts of data, but entering information available in different formats was often carried out manually, which is extremely time-consuming. Our task was to significantly accelerate the process of digitalisation, so we developed an optical character recognition engine that provides data in a structured way for the application,” he summarised.
The healthcare technology developments of Széchenyi István University were presented by Dr Péter Prukner, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Electrical Engineering, Head of the Medtech & Sporttech Division of the Digital Development Centre (Photo: András Adorján)
At the beginning of his lecture, Dr Peták emphasised the great significance of Széchenyi University’s support for medicine through its technological developments. As he noted, the development in Győr, relevant to his research, had made data entry faster and more reliable. “I have been working for thirty years to shed light on the causes of cancer. If we can determine the molecular cause, we can use a drug that eliminates the triggering factor instead of merely treating the symptoms. The goal is to detect which of the hundreds of possible genetic mutations causes the disease in each patient and to identify the most effective targeted drug against it,” he stressed, before outlining the decades-long path he and his colleagues had travelled. Along the way, they had to overcome many technological challenges to reach the point where they are today.
The lecture attracted great interest, with the audience filling the Main Hall of the Győr Innovation Park (Photo: András Adorján)
“Artificial intelligence has opened up new horizons in medicine and plays a key role in achieving personalised medicine. With its help, our software makes thousands of calculations to infer which drug is most suitable for a patient’s specific genetic mutations,” he explained. In his lecture, he presented a study showing that the method contributed to a correct decision in 69 % of cases when choosing among eleven available drugs. He highlighted that a study based on five years of clinical follow-up of lung cancer patients also confirmed that artificial intelligence can effectively support doctors in selecting personalised therapy. He also referred to the fact that the technology plays an important role in many other areas of medicine and may also help reduce the costs of drug production in the future.
Finally, the research professor expressed his gratitude for Széchenyi University’s involvement in the project: “What we are working on together is new not only in Győr but also in Boston. This tool may help ensure that every cancer patient has equal chances of receiving the targeted drug most likely to be effective for them, and it can provide significant support to doctors in determining the right therapy.”
