Deep Learning Used to Detect Earliest Stages of Alzheimer's

The rise of precision medicine is being augmented by greater use of deep learning technologies that provide predictive analytics for earlier diagnosis of a range of debilitating diseases. The latest example comes from researchers at Michigan-based Beaumont Health who used deep learning to analyze genomic DNA. The resulting simple blood test could be used to detect earlier onset of Alzheimer's disease. In a study published this week in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PLOS ONE, the researchers said their analysis discovered 152 "significant" genetic differences among Alzheimer's and healthy patients. Those biomarkers could be used to provide diagnoses before Alzheimer's symptoms develop and a patient's brain is irreversibly damaged.