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Learn MoreTechnion student Yaniv Slor Futterman is combining computer engineering, AI, and biology to advance more personalized approaches to cancer treatment.
Yaniv Slor Futterman is an undergraduate student in the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering with a minor in biology, as well as a participant in the Technion Excellence Program. He is working to leverage computational systems to improve the treatment of cancer. Yaniv was drawn to the Technion by its reputation for academic excellence.
“I wanted to study engineering at the highest level possible in Israel, so the Technion was an easy choice. I am very happy with my decision. The professors are willing to let you work on advanced research early in your academic career, which I greatly appreciate.”
Yaniv’s research aims to make cancer treatments more effective. He explains, “If we want to achieve the noble goal of personalized medicine for each patient, we must first be able to tell which subtype of cancer the patient has so we can give appropriate treatment.”
The key to unlocking this mystery, for Yaniv, is computers. His Technion education has empowered him to marry computer engineering with medicine to achieve more effective and personalized cancer treatments.
Using advanced computational tools such as AI and machine learning, Yaniv creates novel algorithms and statistical tools to help differentiate between subtypes of cancer. He explained that cancers come in different forms with different treatment protocols for each subtype. He says, “This research can help create more specialized medications for people dealing with cancer, alleviating their suffering and hopefully curing the disease or even preventing it before it breaks out.”
Yaniv is empowering his fellow Technion students to pursue similar academic goals. He created a new biomedical track for outstanding students in the Technion Excellence Program. He founded the track, designed the curriculum, and successfully secured its approval as an official study program at the Technion. The track has been running for two years and has seen increasing enrollment each year, achieving great success to date.
Upon graduating, Yaniv plans to pursue a doctorate in the field of computational biology, finding ways to harness the immune system, genetic engineering, and AI to improve the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Yaniv was born and raised in Israel but spent summers in New York, where his father is originally from. He enjoys acting, having performed with a professional youth theater group, as well as playing squash, rock climbing, watching films and plays, and reading. He has a twin brother, Nimrod, who also studies at the Technion and is part of the Technion Excellence Program.