The mathematical sciences prize was awarded to David L. Donoho for his "contributions to modern mathematical statistics and in particular the development of optimal algorithms for statistical estimation in the presence of noise and of efficient techniques for sparse representation and recovery in large data-sets, " the committee said.

WSJ: Six U.S.-Born Scientists Win Asian Prize

But in the absence of actual evidence to that effect, my bias is that cancer is too individualized and too complex a process to believe that even the most sophisticated algorithms can provide a technologically-accelerated shortcut to optimal cancer care.

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