MKLab in the Kick-off of PREDICTOM, a Horizon Europe and Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI) Project for Early Alzheimer’s Detection

On November 15-16, 2023, in Stavanger, Norway, the Multimedia Knowledge and Social Media Analytics Laboratory participated in the kick off meeting launching the activities of PREDICTOM. This €21 million investment, funded by Horizon Europe and IHI, aims to advance early detection methods for Alzheimer’s disease.

PREDICTOM's potential lies in its innovative approach to biosample collection, coupled with AI-based dementia risk prediction. The project not only holds promise for enhancing dementia management at the national and European levels but also strives to make screening and diagnosis more accessible and tailored to individual patient needs.

Project Overview:

PREDICTOM is developing an AI screening platform designed to identify individuals at risk of developing dementia before symptoms appear. MKLab will lead the work package focused on expanding existing and discovering new biomarkers to enable an AI-powered dementia screening platform. Notably, PREDICTOM emphasizes the ability for much of the screening to be conducted by patients themselves at home, thereby alleviating strain on healthcare services and reducing associated costs. The collection of biomarkers, including saliva, stool, digital markers, and blood (via prick-tests), will take place in participants' homes or the offices of general practitioners, streamlining a process traditionally conducted in hospitals or specialized clinics.

The PREDICTOM trial involves more than 4000 participants, drawing from a pool of individuals from previous projects such as PROTECT UK, PROTECT Norway, and Radar-AD. Participants also include individuals from the catchment areas of other participating centers in Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Spain.

The Consortium:

With the support of €21 million in funding (€8 million from the EU, €9 million from industry, and €4 million from UKRI), a consortium of 30 partners from academia, business, civil society, and hospitals is driving PREDICTOM. Partners hail from 15 countries across Europe, Asia, and America, with Stavanger University Hospital leading the consortium.

PREDICTOM is part of the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI), a public-private partnership between the European Union and the European life science industries. EU funding is provided through Horizon Europe, while additional funding comes from Novo Nordisk A/S, GN Hearing A/S, Pharmacoidea Hungary, GE HealthCare, Siemens Healthineers, Icometrix Nv Belgium, ALZpath Inc USA, University of Geneva, Altoida Inc USA, BrainCheck Inc USA, Muhdo Health Ltd, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).