Artificial intelligence (AI) could help “supercharge” the fight against cancer, the head of a leading charity has said.

As Cancer Research UK (CRUK) marks 50 years since the founding of its Scotland Institute in Glasgow , it said AI is already transforming the work of its scientists.

By enabling them to analyse vast amounts of data, it is helping uncover hidden patterns in tumours and accelerate discoveries that could lead to earlier diagnosis and more effective treatments for patients.

Some 34,800 people are diagnosed with cancer in Scotland each year.

Professor Owen Sansom, director of the CRUK Scotland Institute, said: “For 50 years, scientists at this institute have pushed the boundaries of what we know about cancer.

“Our discoveries have helped lay the foundations for progress that is benefiting patients around the world.

“Over the next five decades, AI could help us make discoveries at a pace we could only have imagined before.

“The next generation of breakthroughs will increasingly be powered…