In 2024, Paul Conyngham, a tech entrepreneur from Sydney, discovered that his dog Rosie had cancer. After trying chemotherapy and surgery, the tumors remained, and Rosie’s condition worsened.
In response, he turned to AI and collaborated with Australian scientists to create a custom mRNA cancer vaccine. Thankfully, most of Rosie’s tumors have reduced in size, and she’s now back to chasing rabbits.
According to a report from the Australian, OpenAI’s ChatGPT recommended immunotherapy and pointed Conyngham to the University of New South Wales’ Ramaciotti Center for Genomics.
Though Conyngham lacks a medical background, he has a degree in electrical and computing engineering and co-founded Core Intelligence Technologies. He also served as a director for the Data Science and AI Association of Australia.
After contacting the university, he persuaded researchers to assist him and funded Rosie’s genomic sequencing. Then he began analyzing the dog’s DNA.
“I went to ChatGPT and devised a plan to tackle this,” Conyngham shared with the Australian.
He also utilized AlphaFold, an AI tool from Google’s DeepMind, to identify mutated proteins that might be targeted for treatment. They pinpointed a promising immunotherapy option for Rosie, but the manufacturer was uncooperative.
Eventually, Pall Thordarson, a pioneer in nanomedicine and director of UNSW’s RNA Institute, stepped in, using Conyngham’s data to create a tailored mRNA vaccine in under two months.
“This marks the first personalized cancer vaccine designed for a dog,” he noted. “We’re still exploring the boundaries of cancer immunotherapy—what we learn from Rosie could be beneficial for human applications. Her case shows that personalized medicine, especially using mRNA technology, can yield effective results in a timely manner.”
Rosie received her initial treatment injection in December, followed by a booster in February. While the tumors haven’t completely vanished, they’ve shrunk significantly, and Rosie’s health has markedly improved.
Thordarson mentioned in a thread on X that Rosie’s experience illustrates the potential of technology to “democratize” the creation of cancer vaccines.
However, he emphasized that some of Rosie’s tumors have not responded to the vaccine, so she may not be cured. Still, it has extended her life. Conyngham is grateful for this.
“She had low energy in December due to the tumors,” he recounted. “Six weeks after treatment, I was at the dog park, and she spotted a rabbit, leapt over the fence to chase it. I don’t think this is a cure, but I am convinced this treatment has given Rosie a lot more time and improved her quality of life.”
Rosie’s story has amazed many in the tech industry, highlighting AI’s role in advancing medical breakthroughs—potentially transforming dire diagnoses into manageable conditions.
Matt Shumer, co-founder and CEO of OthersideAI, recently shared the story on X. He remarked, “This is what I mean when I say the world is going to get very weird, very soon. Expect more stories like this, each sounding increasingly more insane.”
