USQ to lead national project to bridge critical health gap

Can artificial intelligence help us understand transmissible infections better? As people the world over become accepting of testing regimes required to diagnose, monitor, and assess outbreaks of the COVID-19, researchers from the University of Southern Queensland are attempting to change the way testing for other types of transmissible infections are understood and utilised – using Artificial Intelligence (AI). A cross-disciplinary research team made up of four USQ experts and an expert colleague from The University of Queensland have been awarded a $500,000 competitive research grant from the Australian Government as part of its First National Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmissible Infections Research Strategy 2021 – 2025. The grant will support the development of a mobile app, supported by AI, centred around sexual health risk behaviours, and screening and testing for Sexually Transmissible Infections, or STIs. Dr Zhaohui Tang and Professor Yan Li from USQ's School of Sciences will lead the project.