New AI partnership targets earlier MS diagnosis using circular RNA
Companies also aim to use stable genetic molecules to track disease progression
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A close-up look at a blood analyzing machine at a laboratory. (Photo by iStock)
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AI and circular RNA are being used to help improve multiple sclerosis diagnosis.
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Goals include earlier detection and better monitoring of disease progression.
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These stable genetic molecules are ideal as biomarkers for multiple sclerosis.
Decode Health and Circular Genomics are partnering to use artificial intelligence (AI) to identify patterns in circular RNA — stable genetic molecules able to signal disease — that may help diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS) earlier and monitor its progression over time.
The collaboration brings together Circular Genomics’ expertise in circular RNA and Decode Health’s AI-powered platform, which can analyze large amounts of patient data to find biomarkers, which are measurable signs in the body that can show how a disease is developing or responding to treatment.
Backed by a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Decode has been using its platform to identify biomarkers of MS and advance an AI-powered blood test to diagnose and monitor MS.
“Our team has spent more than a decade building the data, the platform, and the scientific track record to tackle diseases like MS at the molecular level,” Chase Spurlock, PhD, Decode Health’s CEO and co-founder, said in a company press release. “Circular RNAs are an especially compelling next step in that work because of their stability and the depth of the biological signal they carry.”
‘Circular RNAs offer a unique molecular lens into that biology’
MS occurs when the immune system mistakenly damages healthy tissue in the brain and spinal cord. Because symptoms and the disease’s course can vary widely, doctors have been looking for biomarkers that can be used alongside routine MRI scans and neurological assessments to help diagnose MS earlier or detect disease progression more promptly.
“MS presents a significant diagnostic challenge, particularly in distinguishing disease subtypes and identifying early signs of progression,” said Nikolaos Mellios, MD, PhD, chief scientific officer and co-founder of Circular Genomics. “Circular RNAs offer a unique molecular lens into that biology.”
RNA is a type of genetic material that derives from DNA. The most commonly known form is messenger RNA, a linear molecule that carries information copied from DNA to produce proteins.
Circular RNA is shaped as a closed loop and, unlike messenger RNA, it does not encode proteins. Instead, it is believed to control which genes are turned on or off. Its circular shape makes it stable and less likely to break down in blood, making it an attractive molecule for use as a disease biomarker.
By combining our [circular RNA] platform with Decode Health’s AI-driven analytics and extensive MS research, we have the opportunity to develop specific [circular RNA] signatures that support earlier detection and provide new insight into how the disease evolves over time.
The two companies will now work to identify patterns, called signatures, in circular RNA that are linked to MS. These signatures could help doctors diagnose the disease earlier, enabling patients to initiate treatment when it’s most effective. They may also help monitor MS progression over time, allowing doctors to make more timely treatment decisions.
“By combining our [circular RNA] platform with Decode Health’s AI-driven analytics and extensive MS research, we have the opportunity to develop specific [circular RNA] signatures that support earlier detection and provide new insight into how the disease evolves over time,” Mellios said.
For Spurlock, “this collaboration pairs what we’ve built with Circular Genomics’ [circular RNA] expertise to do something that would otherwise take far longer: build a more scalable, molecularly grounded way to read MS biology directly from blood, so care teams and therapy developers can make better, faster decisions.”
Circular Genomics has already used its platform in Alzheimer’s disease, another neurodegenerative condition.
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