Cited by 13Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsDementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchComputational Drug Discovery Methods

Using machine intelligence to uncover Alzheimer’s disease progression heterogeneity

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Qorri, Bessi, Tsay, Mike, Agrawal, Abhishek, Au, Rhoda, Gracie, Joseph·2020·Exploration of Medicine

Abstract

Aim: Research suggests that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is heterogeneous with numerous subtypes. Through a proprietary interactive ML system, several underlying biological mechanisms associated with AD pathology were uncovered. This paper is an introduction to emerging analytic efforts that can more precisely elucidate the heterogeneity of AD. Methods: A public AD data set (GSE84422) consisting of transcriptomic data of postmortem brain samples from healthy controls (n = 121) and AD (n = 380) subjects was analyzed. Data were processed by an artificial intelligence platform designed to discover potential drug repurposing candidates, followed by an interactive augmented intelligence program. Results: Using perspective analytics, six perspective classes were identified: Class I is defined by TUBB1, ASB4, and PDE5A; Class II by NRG2 and ZNF3; Class III by IGF1, ASB4, and GTSE1; Class IV is defined by cDNA FLJ39269, ITGA1, and CPM; Class V is defined by PDE5A, PSEN1, and NDUFS8; and Class VI is defined by DCAF17, cDNA FLJ75819, and SLC33A1. It is hypothesized that these classes represent biological mechanisms that may act alone or in any combination to manifest an Alzheimer’s pathology. Conclusions: Using a limited transcriptomic public database, six different classes that drive AD were uncovered, supporting the premise that AD is a heterogeneously complex disorder. The perspective classes highlighted genetic pathways associated with vasculogenesis, cellular signaling and differentiation, metabolic function, mitochondrial function, nitric oxide, and metal ion metabolism. The interplay among these genetic factors reveals a more profound underlying complexity of AD that may be responsible for the confluence of several biological factors. These results are not exhaustive; instead, they demonstrate that even within a relatively small study sample, next-generation machine intelligence can uncover multiple genetically driven subtypes. The models and the underlying hypotheses generated using novel analytic methods may translate into potential treatment pathways.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.37349/emed.2020.00026

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Authors
Qorri, B., Tsay, M., Agrawal, A., Au, R., & Gracie, J.
Affiliations
  • Queen's University (CA)
  • General Electric (Canada) (CA)
  • GlaxoSmithKline (United States) (US)
  • Boston University (US)
Venue
Exploration of Medicine
Published
2020
Volume
1
Issue
6
ISSN
2692-3106 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3111933166
Cited by
13
References
118
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3
FWCI
1.35
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Exploration of Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computational Theory and Mathematics › Computational Drug Discovery Methods
Keywords
Alzheimer's disease, disease heterogeneity, Alzheimer's disease subtypes, transcriptomic data, postmortem brain, drug repurposing, augmented intelligence, TUBB1, PDE5A, presenilin 1, mitochondrial function, nitric oxide, metal ion metabolism, vasculogenesis, metabolic function

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