An artificial intelligence approach to investigate neurodegenerative diseases in ageing

An artificial intelligence approach to investigate neurodegenerative diseases in ageing; interdisciplinary project integrating nutrition, genetics, environmental science and data analytics 

The global population is ageing rapidly, and neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia and Parkinson’s disease, are leading causes of disability. Over 50 million people worldwide live with dementia, while Parkinson’s disease affects approximately 10 million. The economic and social burden of these conditions is immense, making prevention and early intervention a global public health priority. Neurodegenerative diseases are multifactorial in nature, determined by a combination of biological, genetic, environmental and social factors but research to date has been fragmented with factors investigated in isolation. This interdisciplinary project aims to integrate Artificial Intelligence and Geographical Information Systems to provide a better understanding of the complex interactions between biological, environmental and genetic factors in the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases.

The student will join an interdisciplinary research team and will be trained in Artificial Intelligence, Geographical Information Systems, Whole Genome Sequencing and nutritional science methodologies. This will then be applied to investigate the complex interactions between risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases in the Trinity-Ulster-Department-of-Agriculture (TUDA) study, a large dataset providing extensive nutrition and health data, along with related lifestyle, clinical, genetic and biochemical information, on a total of 5186 community-dwelling older adults aged 60-102 years.

The proposed project is highly novel and interdisciplinary combining expertise in biology, nutrition and artificial intelligence to interrogate a large ageing dataset to identify patterns and discover trends that are pertinent to human health. The evidence produced will identify key modifiable risk factors that has the potential to inform targeted interventions aimed at promoting brain health and preventing neurodegenerative diseases in older people, significantly reduce the global burden of these conditions.

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