Just a simple one blood sampling to allow artificial intelligence to tell us whether we have a high or low probability of suffering from Alzheimer’s in 20 years. Science fiction? No, it’s already a reality. And we’re not in Silicon Valley. In Italy there is a happy island, where advanced technologies and artificial intelligence are used to study and prevent neurological diseases. We are at San Raffaele of Milan. Here a 45-year-old scientist leads a research group, made up of doctors, bioengineers, computer scientists, psychologists and physiotherapists, which trains algorithms capable of predicting neurodegenerative diseases before they appear. “Artificial Intelligence does things that a doctor would not be able to do: it automatically and quickly analyzes a large amount of data. Identifies the early signs of a neurological disease, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other dementiasbut also helps in the development of new therapies and monitoring their effects.”
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She is Federica Agosta, neurologist, head of the Neuroimaging research unit of neurodegenerative diseases of the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital. She is the author of more than 300 scientific articles, she graduated in medicine in 2003, specializing in neurology. During her specialty she spent a year in the United States, at the University of California, San Francisco and she began to delve into the study of dementia. She comes back and does a PhD. Here she approaches the technology and advanced neuroimaging techniques. “They are diagnostic and research techniques that allow us to visualize the structure, function and activities of the nervous system, particularly the brain, in a non-invasive way.”
In 2017 August wins a unique prize in Europe, dedicated to excellent researchers. It’s called ERC, European Research Council, is considered among the most prestigious awards of the European Commission. Two awards: a university position (Agosta is associate professor of Neurology at the Vita-Salute University) and 1.5 million euros. “It’s a sort of startup grant to launch your own independent group.” So the neurologist puts together a multidisciplinary team and creates a center of the highest level, which competes with the most cutting-edge centers in the world.
At the Milan Longevity Summit, which just ended and which attracted 60 of the most well-known and accredited scientists to the Lombardy capital, Agosta explained how it trains algorithms.
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“We work with lots of data coming from different technologies. For example, we built an artificial intelligence algorithm and with data from MRI scans of the brains of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease, we taught the algorithm to recognize the probability with which an individual could become ill. We then used the same algorithm in patients with Parkinson’s disease. In addition to the MRI, we provided the artificial intelligence with other data: the patient’s age, his deficits, his blood tests… Result? The algorithm understands the progression of the disease. Diagnose what is already there and what is not yet there and how soon it will occur.”
The impact of these diseases is enormous. Due to the aging of the population, Alzheimer’s disease represents a continuously increasing pathology that places a heavy burden on social and healthcare systems. “To date, 3 billion people in the world are affected by a neurological disease. These are recent data from the World Health Organization. In Italy 600 thousand people suffer from Alzheimer’s. The number is expected to increase to over one and a half million by 2050.”
Currently there is no definitive cure. “I am though There are several treatments available to help manage symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. But what is very clear is, whatever treatment is available, early identification of the disease will be crucial. In this sense, AI will be able to play a fundamental role, allowing us to simultaneously analyze data relating to genetic risk factors and lifestyle, biological biomarkers obtained with a simple blood sample, information on cognitive performance obtained with wearable neurophysiological devicessuch as watches, rings, sensors on shirts, along with more complex data such as that obtained with advanced neuroimaging techniques.”
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The bottom line is that the brain is a very sophisticated organ. “So complex that it can only be investigated through complex algorithms. The purpose of artificial intelligence is precisely to simplify our lives by managing to define which are the most salient parameters among millions of data.” The quality of the data is the starting point. “We can come up with the most sophisticated and best artificial intelligence algorithm in the world, but if the data we have collected is of low quality, the artificial intelligence will not find anything. Furthermore whoever collects the data must be trained“.
But are doctors prepared to use the technology?
“Today, many medical schools and graduate schools are integrating technology training into their educational programs. Doctors are also participating in continuing education programs to stay up-to-date on new technologies. Healthcare institutions are promoting its adoption. Of course, some challenges remain , such as resistance to the adoption of certain technologies. When I attended university, there was not yet a great deal of attention to technology during the course of studies. We learned by working in contact with fellow engineers, fellow psychologists, scholars of other disciplines I am convinced that theinterdisciplinarity is fundamental. It is essential to maximize the potential of these technologies and we need to be open.”
A beautiful story. What does it teach the new generations?
“Exactly this. The importance of be open to innovation and to embrace technological change. It encourages them to pursue interdisciplinary education and develop skills in both the medical and technological fields. AI and advanced technologies offer extraordinary opportunities to improve people’s health and quality of life. And creative, passionate young minds are key to realizing this potential.”
Scientist, woman, role model, among the 22 international experts who have joined forces to draw up the new guidelines for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, just published on Lancet Neurology, she’s there.
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“During my career I have not had any difficulties as a woman, there are difficulties when you work in such frontier fields. It takes a lot of passion, but it takes a lot of effort. To get to a position like this you have to give up something You have to choose. I wouldn’t have imagined getting this far. Mine has been a journey made day by day, step by step: I’ve always aimed forward, the ambition must be there, but then keep your head down and work.”
And basically another great lesson is that it is not always necessary to go abroad. “At San Raffaele everything is possible. Brains are draining because there aren’t many such high-level centers in Italy”
Will we defeat Alzheimer’s with AI? “We will really be able to do great things: create predictive models, identify new therapeutic targets and predict patient response to certain drug treatments or surgical interventions. Accelerate the development of new therapies and improve the effectiveness of existing treatments. Technology will change medicine and will do it for the better…”.