A new Boston University–developed AI tool uses readily accessible health data—including memory checks, health records, and brain scans—to identify key Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers. Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Research News

Brink Bites: Using AI to Spot Alzheimer’s; NIH Backs BU COPD Research

Other research news, stories, and tidbits from around BU, including projects using AI to track Alzheimer’s and diagnose lung disease

The Brink’s latest collection of news nuggets, short stories, and other thought-provoking snippets from the world of Boston University research—including using artificial intelligence (AI) to spot Alzheimer’s signs and diagnose lung disease, BU’s role in a major World Economic Forum report on innovation, a new international partnership studying urban life, and a project to improve autistic adults’ colorectal health.

AI Tool Can Spot Key Alzheimer’s Disease Signs

Boston University researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can identify Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers. In tests, the AI model successfully predicted the presence of two so-called sticky proteins—amyloid beta and tau—whose progressive accumulation in the brain is a signature of the neurodegenerative disease. The researchers hope the tool could provide an alternative to expensive positron emission tomography (PET) scans and better pinpoint the proteins’ location in the brain compared to blood tests. According to a BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine news release, the model uses readily accessible data—including from memory checks, health records, and less expensive brain scans—to make its analyses. The results are published in Nature Communications. “The tool can help doctors quickly pick people for treatment with new drugs or to participate in research studies, thus saving time and money while reaching more patients who might not have access to costly and complicated tests,” says Vijaya B. Kolachalama, a BU associate professor of medicine and computer science who led the study. “For the public, this means faster diagnoses, fewer unnecessary exams, and hope for treatments that slow the disease, improving daily life for those affected and their loved ones.” The research was supported by the National Institute on Aging’s Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratories, the American Heart Association, Gates Ventures, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

NIH Awards BU $3.1 Million for COPD Research

It’s the fourth highest cause of death in the world. Every year, millions across the globe—and more than 100,000 in America alone—die of a devastating lung disease called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). At the BU College of Engineering, Kayhan Batmanghelich and his colleagues are exploring an AI-infused approach to better diagnose and track the disease. Their potentially transformative effort was recently boosted by a $3.1 million grant from the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The award will help the assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering “overcome critical limitations in current diagnostic tools by developing novel, interpretable biomarkers using advanced artificial intelligence,” according to an article posted by the BU Rafik B. Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering.

“By uniting data from biology, imaging, and physics through interpretable AI, we’re not just improving COPD care, we’re building a foundation for a new generation of precision diagnostics,” Batmanghelich, a junior faculty fellow at the Hariri Institute and part of its AI Research Initiative, said in the article. “Our work has the potential to shift how we understand, track, and ultimately treat chronic diseases that affect millions worldwide.”

COM Dean Coleads World Economic Forum Top Emerging Tech Report

Every year, the World Economic Forum picks 10 innovations that could reshape society—and the latest list includes breakthroughs as diverse as engineered living therapeutics and generative AI watermarking to fight misinformation. To finalize its “Top 10 Emerging Technologies” report, the nongovernmental organization balances expert nominations, AI analysis, and other assessments—capped by steering committee review. Since 2016, that review has been cochaired by BU’s Mariette DiChristina, dean of the College of Communication and former editor in chief of Scientific American. The goal of the report is to help government and business leaders advance and capitalize on new technologies. “What I hope for the world is that we at least can discuss new innovations and both be critical of them and think about how we can best use them—considering both the things that can go wrong as well as the things that can go right,” DiChristina told COMtalk.

International Partnership to Study Urban Life

The BU Initiative on Cities (IOC) has cofounded an international partnership to advance new insights into how city dwellers shape and navigate their environments. The Global Alliance on Sustainable Urban Societies will combine “critical social science with data science to provide fresh, actionable insights into urban life,” according to a press release.

“To be resilient and liveable, cities must be socially sustainable, and we need to understand how individuals and communities perceive, interact with, and are affected by urbanisation and the urban environment,” Loretta Lees, IOC director and a BU College of Arts & Sciences professor of sociology, said in the press release. The alliance’s other founding members are drawn from the London School of Economics and Political Science, Singapore Management University, University of Melbourne, and University of Toronto.

Improving Autistic Adults’ Colorectal Health

A new BU project to improve colorectal health among people with autism has won a major new grant. The Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award Program, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), has awarded funding to a study of colonoscopy access, participation, and patient experience for autistic adults. The project will be led by Emily Rothman, a BU Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences professor and chair of occupational therapy. One feature of the research will be the creation of a national advisory board of autistic adults with colonoscopy experience. “Many autistic people face sensory, communication, and anxiety-related challenges when it comes to procedures like colonoscopy,” said Rothman in a Sargent press release. “This project is about ensuring their voices shape the future of GI healthcare research and practice.”

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