A new statewide initiative in Louisiana is harnessing AI to fast-track the search for treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which is the ALS clinical trial and other neurodegenerative diseases.
The Louisiana AI Drug Development Infrastructure for ALS (LADDIA) project combines the nonprofit AI drug development, Answer ALS, GATC Health, Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and Tulane University. The State of Louisiana is also contributing funding to support the ambitious collaboration.
“This is more than a research partnership, it’s a strategic investment in the future of ALS discovery,” said executive director of Answer ALS, Clare Durrett, in a press release.
LADDIA will build on the Answer ALS Neuromine Data Portal, the largest open-access repository of biological and clinical data for AI ALS, containing information from more than 1,000 patients.
The aim is to apply AI models and machine learning to this dataset to identify druggable targets and accelerate the therapeutic and most promising clinical trials for ALS.
“By aligning Louisiana’s top talent and institutions with cutting-edge AI tools and our open-access Neuromine Data Portal, we are enabling real-time collaboration that could help identify druggable pathways and translate data into breakthroughs,” Durrett added.
Data, Collaboration, and Biotechnology AI
ALS is a progressive neurological disorder that deteriorates motor neurons, eventually impacting voluntary movement. While several drugs exist to manage symptoms, no cure is available but AI in drug discovery and development is taking place. The LADDIA partnership seeks to close that ALS clinical trial gap using AI.
“This important collaboration highlights the power of AI to transform healthcare,” said a computer science professor at Tulane University, Aron Culotta.
“Combining Tulane’s expertise in AI and biomedical research with partners across the state, we aim to accelerate AI-driven solutions for ALS and other health challenges,” continued to state Culotta.
The AI for clinical trials initiative will unfold in two phases:
- The first phase focuses on establishing the necessary infrastructure and coordination among academic and research institutions.
- The second will optimize AI models and advance specific drug discovery projects.
“We believe this alliance of research data, academia and advanced AI is the new model for rapid discovery of novel therapeutics to treat diseases currently lacking effective treatment,” said Rahul Gupta, MD, president of GATC Health.
The biomarkers discovered through the project will be shared with the broader ALS clinical trial research community, while also supporting GATC’s development of new therapies.
Director of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and principal investigator of Neuromine, Jeffrey Keller, emphasized the importance of the project’s mission, to apply this incredible machine learning biomarker discovery toward the pursuit of treatments for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases is perhaps the most noble and worthwhile implementation of it
As LADDIA the collaborative drug development AI, it represents a promising convergence of science, technology, and collaboration offering renewed hope for breakthroughs in the ALS clinical trial and similar neurological diseases.
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