Tech entrepreneur uses AI to build custom cancer vaccine for dog

SYDNEY: A Sydney-based data scientist with no formal biological training has successfully developed the world’s first personalized mRNA cancer vaccine for a dog, using artificial intelligence tools to save his terminally ill pet.

Paul Conyngham, a machine learning engineer, turned to AI platforms, including ChatGPT and AlphaFold, after his rescue dog Rosie was diagnosed with advanced mast cell cancer in 2024.

When traditional chemotherapy failed to stop the tumor growth and veterinarians gave a terminal prognosis, Conyngham collaborated with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) to sequence the dog’s healthy and cancerous DNA.

“We took her tumor, sequenced the DNA, converted it from tissue to data, and used that to find the problem,” Conyngham told Australia’s Today Show. After a pharmaceutical company refused compassionate access to a promising immunotherapy drug, Conyngham used AI to identify the specific genetic mutations driving the cancer. He then created a custom mRNA vaccine formula, partnering with the UNSW RNA Institute to produce the treatment.

Rosie received her first injection in December. By mid-March, a prominent tumor on her leg had shrunk by approximately 75%. While her mobility was severely limited late last year, Conyngham reported that she was recently jumping fences and chasing rabbits.

Researchers at UNSW confirmed the unprecedented nature of this achievement. Martin Smith, director of the UNSW Ramaciotti Centre for Genomics, highlighted the broader implications of this breakthrough, questioning why similar rapid treatments are not yet available for human patients.

Páll Thordarson, director of the UNSW RNA Institute, told The Australian that Conyngham’s ability to generate a functional mRNA recipe without biological training demonstrates how AI is “democratizing the whole process,” signaling future advancements for human medicine.