Generative models: GANs and VAEs for genomes

AI, Eyes, and the Sky — From Synthetic Genomes to Restored Vision and Cosmic Mysteries

Hosted by Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary, this episode of From First Principles explores three cutting-edge breakthroughs connecting medicine, technology, and astronomy.

Summary

• AI for Oncology, Minus the Privacy Risk: University of Toronto researchers develop OncoGAN—a generative model that creates realistic synthetic cancer genomes to accelerate precision oncology while protecting patient data.

• Restoring Sight: The PRIMA (PRIMAvera) trial in NEJM demonstrates how a wireless sub-retinal photovoltaic implant can restore central vision in people with advanced macular degeneration.

• Revisiting Cosmic Transients: New analyses of Palomar’s POSS-I plates re-examine the “multi-point transients” with fresh alignment statistics and an innovative Earth’s-shadow control test.

Show Notes

• University of Toronto — OncoGAN / Synthetic Cancer Genomes (Cell Genomics)

• NEJM — PRIMA (PRIMAvera) Wireless Sub-Retinal Implant Trial for Geographic Atrophy

• Palomar POSS-I Plates — Multi-Point Transient Analysis (IOP PASP Paper)

• Palomar Alignment vs Earth’s Shadow Control (Nature Scientific Reports 2025)