From decades to years - AI could speed search for brain drugs hiding in plain sight

Researchers at the UK Dementia Research Institute in Edinburgh use AI to analyze patient data, including voice recordings and eye scans, alongside lab-grown brain cells. The goal is to detect disease patterns and predict which existing drugs could be repurposed for neurological conditions such as motor neurone disease (MND). The approach aims to find effective treatments in years rather than decades. A trial participant diagnosed with MND describes the research as a source of hope, emphasizing that participation involves testing multiple drugs with the intention of delivering outcomes that may help others. The institute also builds a database covering conditions including Parkinson’s, dementia, and MND, collecting iris scans and voice recordings for AI-driven analysis.

"Researchers at the UK Dementia Research Institute in Edinburgh analyse patient data including voice recordings and eye scans, as well as lab-grown brain cells, to identify whether existing drugs could be repurposed to treat conditions such as motor neurone disease (MND). The scientists hope that by using algorithms to detect patterns of disease and predict suitable medicines, effective treatments could be found in "years rather than decades"."

""MND is a horrible disease, it strips you of who you are," he tells the BBC at his home in Alloa, Scotland. "It rips any sense of future that you may feel that you had planned for yourself - all that goes." His family also did not see it coming, Steven says - showing us photos of himself at work, at parties and at his son's wedding."

"One such trial, MND-SMART, sees several drugs tested at the same time as opposed to one group given a treatment and another a placebo. "For me the research is much more than taking a tablet - it's taking a tablet with the intention of delivering outcomes, that may or may not help me but help others," he says."

"The Institute is also building a database of people with conditions including Parkinson's, Dementia and MND. Clinicians are gathering iris scans, voice recordings and harnessing AI to crunch through and curate masses of data to spot signs of change th"

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