SCANDAN-PIPaRD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
SCottish AI in Neuroimaging to predict Dementia and Neurodegenerative Disease - Prediction of Individual Risk of Dementia (SCANDAN-PIPaRD)
IRAS ID
305632
Contact name
Vera Feruza Nuritova
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Dundee
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
A key challenge for health systems is to identify people at highest risk of dementia and other diseases of the brain who are eligible for prevention treatments. Solving this problem could empower people to manage their own risk of brain diseases, streamline conduct of trials of new treatments, and support healthcare systems.
Our goal is to train artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to estimate a person's risk of dementia from routine brain images and clinical data. We aim subsequently to look at other neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. motor neurone disease) and stroke.
We will use a unique national-level dataset of imaging data collected across Scotland in routine healthcare settings. Computerised Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans will be linked to other routinely collected health data from hospital and pharmacies including clinical notes that accompany the scans. This will provide previously unavailable scale, population-wide representativeness, long-term follow-up, and real-world variation. We will then use machine learning methods to predict dementia using information from the scans and from the other information held in medical records.
An efficient solution to readily identify high-risk people from electronic health data would have broad benefits. It would transform the costs and duration of dementia and brain health trials leading to improved identification of new treatments, and accurate prediction of dementia would mean people at the highest risk could improve their risk factor management - as already occurs for cardiovascular diseases - and be identified by health systems for targeted follow-up assessment and care.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
23/NS/0017
Date of REC Opinion
27 Feb 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion