Computer Science as a Way to Fight Cancer?

Microsoft has recently stated working closely with biology researchers to find a way to combine both computer science and biology to fight cancer. On the surface it may seem like a crazy idea. How can computer science fight cancer, a disease which occurs in the human body? Interestingly enough it actually makes a lot of sense. Microsoft is essentially working on developing a "molecular computer" which will fit inside cells and allow for them to monitor for diseases and prevent them from spreading.

Is This something which will happen tomorrow? No, most likely not. Microsoft is giving itself a 10 year timetable in which to develop this concept and do testing. However, the new look into how to preemptively prevent cancer holds serious implications. If this could be used for cancer, it could theoretically be applied to other diseases as well. If this idea works, which is definitely a big if, it could potentially eliminate many of the serious diseases that kill millions every year. It would essentially be a super vaccine that would be a turning point in human history.


The real questions comes down to if it is really possible to program a human cell like a computer is programmed. Can that same process of scanning for and then eliminating problems that computers do actually be applied to the human body? Only time can tell but it is certainly something to keep an eye out for.





Resources:
1) http://www.wired.co.uk/article/microsoft-solve-cancer-computer-science
2)http://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Microsoft-will-solve-cancer-within-10-years-by-reprogramming-diseased-cells-600x315.jpg
3) http://wallstreetpit.com/wp-content/uploads/news/pbd/health-stem-cell.jpg
4) https://abm-website-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/rdmag.com/s3fs-public/featured_image/2016/06/rd1606_microsoft_@.jpg