Full Press Release Details
• October 14, 2024
“Seeing how an individual living with ALS could benefit so much from the technology I helped create, I was inspired to dedicate myself to finding a remedy for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases” – Nitai Kerem, Scientific Project Manager
During my time in academia, I participated in a transformative project where I helped develop an interactive system using brain-computer interface technology to help an ALS patient communicate more effectively. This is where I saw the synergy between technology and neurodegenerative diseases come to life, inspiring me to pursue that direction.
Here, at NeuroSense I use artificial intelligence (AI) search engines as an efficient tool in my workflow to help maximize the benefits of existing knowledge and ongoing research projects. For instance, NeuroSense has conducted extensive research on the combination of ciprofloxacin and celecoxib for the creation of PrimeC. I have used AI to assist in consolidating these findings, providing a clearer picture of the drug combination’s potential, and offering new angles to examine the data. This variety of AI assistive tools enables more efficient data analysis and helps identify new sources and technologies that may contribute to further discoveries.
In our research and development team, we have established a number of collaborations with other companies to get the most out of our research using AI. NeuroSense’s partnership with PhaseV, for example, provides deeper insights into the data derived from the PARADIGM Phase 2b study, ultimately helping to identify the optimal ALS patient profile that would benefit most from PrimeC in preparation for the upcoming pivotal Phase 3 study. Additionally, our collaboration with NeuroKaire exemplifies the innovative use of AI in predicting treatment responses of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease. While PhaseV has access to comprehensive clinical trial data providing a broader scope of information for analysis, NeuroKaire primarily has access to blood samples from patients. NeuroKaire utilizes peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) extracted from the blood samples to create induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are then differentiated into cortical neurons. This approach allows for multiple tests on the same cell line. Upon treating these cells with different doses of PrimeC, predictive models are created utilizing AI to project each patient’s disease progression based on the experimental results. AI plays a crucial role in patient stratification here, determining which patient profile would benefit most from PrimeC treatment based on these models.
While AI is valuable for brainstorming and uncovering new insights, it does not necessarily provide concrete answers. AI is primarily a tool for exploratory analysis, generating ideas rather than drawing definitive conclusions. Although such reliability may be possible in the future, technology is advancing much faster compared to the rules and regulations in the pharmaceutical industry for AI to be depended upon completely as of now. Additionally, AI is often biased towards more common neurodegenerative diseases for which more information is publicly available. It is always important to cross-validate information provided by AI assistive tools.
More generally, I appreciate that NeuroSense is a small company, allowing me to be closely involved in every aspect of the research and development process. This proximity fosters greater efficiency and faster progress in developing the best possible therapies. If you ask me for any professional tips, I would advise paying attention to the details and, more importantly, keep in mind that the fantastic work being done here is for people in need.