AI Tech Helps Track Parkinson’s Disease Progression

Researchers at IBM and the Michael J. Fox Foundation have teamed up recently to develop a program which utilizes AI in predicting the timing and severity of Parkinson's disease. AI has been previously used in medical applications to detect tumors, kidney illness, and cancer, and is now the next breakthrough in Parkinson’s treatment.  According to the Lancet Digital Health Journal, this software could be the key in maximizing the quality of life for patients by accurately identifying key factors of the disease’s progression.

“Our aim is to use AI to help with patient management and clinical trial design. These goals are important because, despite Parkinson’s prevalence, patients experience a unique variety of motor and non-motor symptoms,” IBM said.

This new AI technology is made possible by the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative, a study conducted and sponsored by the Michael J Fox Foundation. The dataset, which includes 1,400 individuals, allowed the AI model to map out symptom and progression patterns, which can now be used to assess patients at various states of Parkinson’s degeneration.

It is estimated that 6 million people around the world have Parkinson’s, for which there is no known cure. The future looks bright, however, as more and more dedicated scientists continue the development of utilizable technologies to track and monitor the progress of the disease.