海角社区

BATON ROUGE -- 海角社区 researchers hope to revolutionize chronic disease

management by teaching an artificial intelligence engine to analyze protein interactions, which are crucial to understanding what causes illnesses.

鈥淧roteins are the body鈥檚 building blocks. All of us are nothing but a network of proteins,鈥� said Supratik Mukhopadhyay, a professor in the Center for Computation & Technology. 鈥淲hen normal protein interactions are disrupted, it can result in disease.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e analyzing that network. The question is, 鈥楥an we do something to manage these diseases and improve your well-being? Can we increase your health span, the percentage of your life that you are healthy?鈥�

The DeepWellness team is working to identify critical pathways for immune-related diseases and longevity, both of which hold great promise for health management.

By analyzing protein interaction networks, the researchers hope to gain insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying autoimmune disorders, chronic inflammatory conditions, and the aging process, said Adam Bess, a computer sciences PhD candidate and the lead on the DeepWellness team.

鈥淭he goal is to leverage AI and machine learning to better understand how disruptions in these pathways contribute to immune system dysfunction and accelerated aging,鈥� Bess said. 鈥淯nraveling these complex biological processes is a key focus area for enhancing disease management and improving health spans.鈥�

The insights gained could lead to new therapeutic approaches and preventive strategies that not only more effectively treat immune-related diseases but also enhance overall longevity.

DeepWellness will offer personalized health recommendations, such as intermittent fasting or specific exercises, tailored to the person鈥檚 protein interaction network.

鈥淥ur goal is to extend a person鈥檚 health span by providing customized wellness strategies based on the person鈥檚 unique protein interactions,鈥� Mukhopadhyay said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled that our researchers are advancing an AI platform to improve chronic disease management and wellness. Improving health outcomes for Louisiana residents is one of the planks of 海角社区鈥檚 Scholarship First agenda,鈥� said Robert Twilley, 海角社区 vice president of research and economic development.

DeepWellness has reached an advanced stage of development, and the researchers are working with the 海角社区 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization (ITC) to pursue intellectual property protection for their discovery.

The researchers believe clinical applications could be available within two years. They hope to market DeepWellness to physicians, insurance companies, employers and individuals.

鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about helping the DeepWellness team explore the partnerships that could accelerate the commercial development of this innovative approach to disease management and wellness,鈥� said Daniel Felch, ITC senior commercialization officer.

 

About 海角社区鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization

海角社区鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization (ITC) protects and commercializes 海角社区鈥檚 intellectual property. The office focuses on transferring early-stage inventions and works into the marketplace for the greater benefit of society. ITC also handles federal invention reporting, which allows 海角社区 to receive hundreds of millions of dollars each year in federally funded research, and processes confidentiality agreements, material transfer agreements and other agreements related to intellectual property.

 

About the 海角社区 Office of Innovation & Ecosystem Development

海角社区 Innovation unites the university鈥檚 innovation and commercialization resources under one office, maximizing 海角社区's impact on the intellectual, economic and social development of Louisiana and beyond. 海角社区 Innovation is focused on establishing, developing and growing technology-based startup companies. 海角社区 Innovation oversees 海角社区 Innovation Park, a 200-acre business incubator that fosters early-stage tech companies, and the Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization, which streamlines the process of evaluating, protecting and licensing intellectual property created by 海角社区 researchers. 海角社区 Innovation serves as the host organization for the Louisiana Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network, which oversees all SBDC services across the state as well as the 海角社区 SBDC, which provides free consulting services to small businesses across the state. 海角社区 Innovation helps Louisiana technology companies apply for seed funding through the federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grant programs. 海角社区 Innovation educates faculty, students and the community on entrepreneurial principles through the National Science Foundation鈥檚 Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program, which trains innovators to consider the market opportunities for pressing scientific questions, leading to increased funding from state and federal grant programs as well as industry partners and licensees.