LSU Researchers Use Artificial Intelligence Platform to Tackle Chronic Disease Management, Wellness

Supratik Mukhopadhyay, Professor of Environmental Science

BATON ROUGE — LSU 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.

“Proteins are the body’s building blocks. All of us are nothing but a network of proteins,”
said Supratik Mukhopadhyay, a professor in the Center for Computation & Technology.
“When normal protein interactions are disrupted, it can result in disease.”

“We’re analyzing that network. The question is, ‘Can 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?”

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.

“The goal is to leverage AI and machine learning to better understand how disruptions
in these pathways contribute to immune system dysfunction and accelerated aging,”
Bess said. “Unraveling these complex biological processes is a key focus area for
enhancing disease management and improving health spans.”

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’s protein interaction network.

“Our goal is to extend a person’s health span by providing customized wellness strategies
based on the person’s unique protein interactions,” Mukhopadhyay said.

“We’re 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 LSU’s Scholarship First agenda,” said Robert Twilley, LSU
vice president of research and economic development.

DeepWellness has reached an advanced stage of development, and the researchers are
working with the LSU 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.

“We’re excited about helping the DeepWellness team explore the partnerships that could
accelerate the commercial development of this innovative approach to disease management
and wellness,” said Daniel Felch, ITC senior commercialization officer.

About LSU’s Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization

LSU’s Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization (ITC) protects and commercializes
LSU’s 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 LSU 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 LSU Office of Innovation & Ecosystem Development

LSU Innovation unites the university’s innovation and commercialization resources
under one office, maximizing LSU’s impact on the intellectual, economic and social
development of Louisiana and beyond. LSU Innovation is focused on establishing, developing
and growing technology-based startup companies. LSU Innovation oversees LSU 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 LSU researchers.
LSU 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 LSU SBDC, which provides free consulting services to small businesses across the
state. LSU Innovation helps Louisiana technology companies apply for seed funding
through the federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology
Transfer grant programs. LSU Innovation educates faculty, students and the community
on entrepreneurial principles through the National Science Foundation’s 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.