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.