More than 10 million Europeans show signs of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition intermediate between normal brain ageing and dementia. The evolution of MCI differs from person to person; some remain stable or return to normal, but 50% progress to dementia within five years. Current practice lacks the necessary screening tools to identify those 50% at risk. The patient’s journey typically takes many years of inefficient clinical follow-ups before a conclusive diagnosis is finally reached. AI-Mind will radically shorten this journey to 1 week through a digital solution that is able to provide a fast and accurate (>95%) prediction for the individual dementia risk. Our AI-Mind platform service, can be easily integrated into existing clinical practices and contains 2 new artificial-intelligence-based tools. The AI-Mind Connector identifies dysfunctional brain networks. The AI-Mind Predictor assesses dementia risk using data from the Connector, advanced cognitive tests, genetic biomarkers and important textual variables. Our aim is to set up a European clinical network that will upload patient data to the AI-Mind European cloud platform. The consortium comprises excellent researchers in neuroscience and computer science, from 5 clinical centres, who closely collaborate with 3 SMEs contributing unique technologies, an established data governance body-DNV GL, and Alzheimer Europe. Together, they plan to deliver a medical device of class 2b that can reach TRL7 by the end of the project. AI-Mind represents a major step forward in the risk assessment of dementia. Clinicians will promptly advise therapies to delay the onset of disease, and patients will enjoy independent lives for longer. By offering a globally accessible, cheap and precise tool for dementia prediction, AI-Mind will improve the health care system and boost innovation by shifting the R&D of pharmaceutical organisations and other companies to preventive diagnostic methods and therapies for dementia.
This project contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 9.
