Unlocking New Treatments: How AI Is Revolutionizing Drug Repurposing and Cancer Diagnostics

A new chapter is opening in healthcare — one where artificial intelligence is rapidly accelerating the discovery of new uses for existing medications.

A recent article in The New York Times, Doctors Told Him He Was Going to Die. Then A.I. Saved His Life, spotlighted this shift by showing how AI is enabling researchers to identify alternative applications for drugs already approved for other conditions. With drug development timelines stretching over a decade and costs reaching into the billions, repurposing represents a faster, more efficient path to treatment. This is especially true for diseases like cancer, where time is a critical element to better patient outcomes.

At Avitia, we’re advancing health equity by enabling broader access to AI-powered cancer mutation testing. One of the most promising synergistic applications of this approach is drug repurposing. For example, if there is a therapy approved for one cancer, like lung, it may be used to treat another, like colon, if the same mutation is present. This shift from tissue-based to mutation-driven profiling allows clinicians to match patients with effective treatments faster, expanding therapeutic options and accelerating precision care where it’s needed most. 

The Rise of AI in Drug Repurposing

Drug repurposing — the practice of applying existing drugs to new medical conditions — has long been part of medical innovation. What’s changed is the speed and scale.

AI makes it possible to analyze massive amounts of biomedical literature and clinical trial data. This is matched with more patient outcomes to detect patterns that suggest a drug originally developed for one disease might be effective against another. This process, once manual and slow, is now data-driven and continuous.

Researchers are using AI models to compare genetic signatures, protein interactions, and real-world outcomes across diseases and drug classes. The goal: to uncover previously overlooked therapeutic matches with high clinical relevance.

These efforts are already showing promise. An example is technology developed by Dr. David C. Fajgenbaum’s team at the University of Pennsylvania and elsewhere, where they have drugs that are being repurposed for “conditions including rare and aggressive cancers, fatal inflammatory disorders and complex neurological conditions.” And often, they’re working. These are just a few of the directions AI-enabled repurposing is taking.

Reducing Time and Cost of Treatment

Developing a new drug from scratch takes 10–15 years and can cost billions. By contrast, repurposing a drug with an established safety record can bypass many early-phase trials, significantly shortening development timelines and reducing costs.

For patients and clinicians, this translates into faster access to new treatments — often when no other options are available. AI accelerates the process even further by identifying repurposing candidates at scale based on rigorous pattern recognition across biological and clinical data.

How Avitia Supports the Repurposing Ecosystem

Integrating liquid biopsy molecular profiling with drug repurposing offers a powerful approach to cancer treatment.
Our system analyzes tumor samples at the genomic and molecular level to identify mutations, biomarkers, and therapeutic targets. These insights are contextualized using up-to-date literature, treatment guidelines, and trial databases — ensuring no actionable data is overlooked.

Specifically, Avitia’s liquid biopsy molecular profiling of cancer and drug repurposing are two complementary strategies that can significantly enhance cancer treatment by offering personalized, cost-effective solutions.

This is conducted through:

1. Target Identification: Liquid biopsies can identify specific mutations or biomarkers that are targets for repurposed drugs, ensuring a more precise and personalized treatment strategy.

2. Monitoring Treatment Responses: By tracking changes in ctDNA levels, liquid biopsies can assess how well patients respond to repurposed drugs, allowing for early adjustments in treatment plans.

3. Reducing Trial Sizes: Tumor-informed liquid biopsies can help select patients with molecular residual disease (MRD) for clinical trials, reducing trial sizes and costs while increasing the likelihood of successful outcomes.


In summary, liquid biopsy molecular profiling provides critical information for identifying targets and monitoring responses, while drug repurposing offers a cost-effective and rapid way to develop new therapeutic options.

Together, these strategies can enhance cancer treatment by providing more personalized, effective, and accessible therapies.

The Bigger Picture: Precision Oncology for All

AI’s role in drug repurposing is a part of a broader shift toward precision oncology — care tailored to the individual’s genetic profile, disease stage, and therapeutic context.

At Avitia, we believe that precision care should not be limited to large institutions or major cities. That’s why our platform is designed to be accessible to regional labs and clinics, ensuring that patients everywhere can benefit from the latest discoveries — including those made possible through AI.

We focus on:

• Speed — reducing time from diagnosis to treatment
  
  
• Accuracy — delivering insights rooted in molecular data
  
  
• Access — empowering care teams with actionable information, regardless of geography

Looking Ahead

As AI capabilities continue to evolve, their role in accelerating therapeutic innovation will only grow. More sophisticated models will analyze not just drug-disease matches but also population-level outcomes, real-world evidence, and individual risk factors — giving rise to more nuanced treatment strategies.

Avitia’s platform is built to adapt and scale with this future. We are continuously updating our systems to reflect new research and to deliver clinically relevant, timely, and equitable diagnostics that support improved care.

At Avitia, we are committed to using this technology responsibly and effectively. Our platform doesn’t just analyze data — it helps clinicians make better decisions faster. By integrating AI-powered insights with real-world clinical workflows, we’re helping close the gap between research and care.

Explore our platform at and join us in shaping a more precise, accessible, and responsive future for cancer care: www.avitia.bio