FULL TEXT - https://www.drjjamesfrost.com/post/intrinsic-cellular-computation-far-reaching-implications-for-solving-the-cancer-problem

In my article Cancer’s Intelligence I conjectured that cancer is able to compute survival solutions to future environmental changes that it has not yet encountered. That is, that cancer can predict the future and ready itself to adapt to new, yet unseen environmental conditions, whether a change in oxygen tension or a chemotherapeutic drug.

A recent, exceedingly relevant paper entitled Trade-offs between cost and information in cellular prediction by Tjalma et al analyzes cellular adaptation and lays out the conditions for prediction of a survival response to an adverse environmental change. The cellular response is an intrinsically computed solution to future external events using the cell’s internal computational machinery. Historically, it has been thought that only higher organisms “can predict the future environment and initiate a response ahead of time”, but this is not the case.

At bottom, energy and time are two key computational limits. Energy (free energy) for computation, storing information, and the protein synthesis needed for future actions limits computation of the optimal solution for future survival moves.  Time is a factor in computing solutions and a in sensing and sampling the current and past environments sufficiently finely for accurate predictions. Optimal time averaging for the cell is key, which also has the advantage of filtering noise.

The Tjalma article elucidates the informational bounds a cell can possibly have about the future. The costs of a bit of informational sampling and processing are computed and compared.  As information-processing humans, we extract only the most useful information from the past environment as we plan future actions – the cell does the same. How and under what conditions a cell approaches the information bound for its internal computation is examined in detail by exploring Markovian and non-Markovian models and by examining the necessary fineness of temporal sampling of the environment and the cell’s computational speed. The information bottleneck theory is key in this analysis, as it dictates information compression for storage and its costs.

The article is a challenging, yet rewarding read and one that is intimately related to the vast computation ability of the cancer cell and more importantly, cancer cell networks. In a way, this article is the missing link between cancer’s computation from instantaneous, present environmental conditions – the constrained regime held by most cancer biologists – to the tracking and selective sampling of the past and the present to the response to yet-unseen future events – just as human and higher animal computation occurs.

For more information on the molecular imaging aspects of cancer characterization, treatment, and monitoring, please visit BioMolecular Imaging, LLC http://biomolecularimaging.com

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Intrinsic Cellular Computation: Far Reaching Implications for Solving the Cancer Problem

In episode 11 we speak with Donna Ladkin who is Professor of Inclusive Leadership at the University of Birmingham Business School. We discuss her new book, ' Challenging Colonizing Logics in Management Research: Towards a Broader View of Management'. We take a journey through her own experiences and practices to consider how we can reorientate ourselves to the world through a connecting consciousness to embrace the plurality of voices involved with the complex issues of 21st century organisationall life.

The Words for Leadership - Episode 11

In episode 10 we hear from founder and CEO of Oak Agility; Kwasi Owusu- Asomaning who introduces us to his multicultural and multilingual working context as an executive coach. He shares some thoughts on creating inclusive 'we' spaces, the relationships between HQs and subsidiary businesses and some practical takeaways around his own reflexive learning and approaches to EDI.

The Words for Leadership - Episode 10

Episode 3: Exploring how designing financial services for accessibility and inclusion from the ground up creates
better experiences for everyone, not just those with specific needs.

Universal Design - Episode 3

Episode 2: A conversation with marketing and communications professionals from financial institutions on how inclusive messaging is developed, the challenges involved and examples of good practice.

System Says ‘No’ - Episode 2

In Episode 9 part one, Shehzaad Sams, CEO and Founder of Rononiti talks about his experiences of consulting with organisations globally. He reflects upon some of the colonial assumptions of a Westernised approach to EDI and how practices can become much broader and attuned to a local context.

The Words for Leadership - Episode 9 Part 1

In Episode 9 part two,  we continue the conversation with Shehzaad  to consider how relationships between HQs and subsidiaries are influenced by the dialogue between East and West in terms of ideas about inclusive leadership, how the word for leader in Bengali is understood and his practical tips about how to help inclusive leadership to be successfully transplanted into different contexts. 

The Words for Leadership - Episode 9 Part 2

In this episode we speak with three entrepreneurs and our focus is on innovation in health technology. 

We are joined by Professor Matt Freeman, who is the Centre Director at Future Space, which is an innovation centre that has become the gold standard for university-industry collaboration. Future_ Space at UWE Bristol is a multi-award-winning innovation centre designed for pioneering high-tech high-growth businesses solving tomorrow's biggest challenges.

We are also joined by Dr Jenny Bailey Cooper, CEO and co-founder of Ferryx, a university spin-out company developing innovative gut health solutions and Dr Zeke Steer, founder of Milbotix, has developed smart sock technology that's turning this everyday garment into a powerful health monitoring tool.

Links:
⁠https://www.futurespacebristol.co.uk/ ⁠
⁠www.ferryx.com⁠
⁠https://milbotix.com/

Let's Talk Health and Care Podcast Ep#9: Health Technology and Innovation Special

To mark Ada Lovelace Day 2025, UWE Bristol is celebrating Women in Tech Week - a programme of events and resources designed to celebrate, challenge and change the narrative around gender equity in technology.

The initiative began with a simple question: What would it take to make tech feel like a place where women belong, thrive and lead? The answer is a week that combines visibility, allyship, practical action and storytelling.

To round off the week, this special episode of the Changemakers podcast explores the power of storytelling, with four of UWE’s inspiring women who teach and study technology subjects. They share their journeys, reflect on the challenges facing women in tech, and discuss how we can all play a part in changing the narrative.

Changemaker Podcast: Stories of Women Shaping the Future of Tech

In this episode of the Bristol Distinguished Address Series, an expert-led panel discussion explored how the South West could become a leader in innovation, sustainability, and economic growth through space-enabled technologies, bringing together perspectives from academia, industry, and regional initiatives to highlighted opportunities for collaboration and future development.

Hosted by Rebecca Huffee (Space West / NCC), the panel featured Ross Hulbert (Spaceport Cornwall), Dr. Chris Toomer (UWE Bristol), and Simon Wheeler (reOrbit).
 
Rebecca Huffee is Cluster Manager for Space West which covers the geographies of Swindon and Wiltshire, Bristol and Bath and Gloucestershire having taken up the post based at the National Composites Centre in 2023. She works collaboratively with her Space Cluster colleagues from across the UK to accelerate innovation and grow the space sector in the UK. Prior to the this she was a programme manager for Space and Net Zero at the University of Bristol, engaging with industry and policymakers to support the university’s academic community to understand industrial and policy challenges to help deliver innovation for real world problems.


Listen more from the Bristol Distinguished Address Series: https://soundcloud.com/uwebristol/sets/bristol-distinguished-address
Watch the Bristol Distinguished Address Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrOzUDjo8U6JTeJ02D-Bo_EtA47W6vG-T  
Learn more about the Bristol Distinguished Address Series: www.uwe.ac.uk/events/bristol-dis…hed-address-series

Ground to Orbit | Bristol Distinguished Address Series

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Intrinsic Cellular Computation: Far Reaching Implications for Solving the Cancer Problem

Dr. J. James Frost

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