AI tool to speed up diagnosis of rare immune diseases
.jpg)
Researchers at VIB and UGent, alongside clinicians at UZ Gent, have developed an AI tool that can speed up the diagnosis of rare immune diseases. The technology analyses complex laboratory data and helps doctors make faster and more focused diagnoses.
The help of AI is especially useful for rare diseases, as doctors see such conditions less frequently and therefore find it harder to recognise them. The technology can detect patterns in data that are less obvious to the human eye.
Primary immune deficiencies are rare conditions in which the immune system does not function properly. Some forms, such as severe combined immune deficiency, can be life-threatening if not detected in time. Diagnosis is often complex and relies heavily on specialised expertise.
"It will allow us to critically evaluate the results and integrate them responsibly into clinical decision-making"
The new AI tool, PIDgeon, automates an important part of that analysis. It processes standardised data from flow cytometry studies, detects abnormalities in immune cells and suggests possible disease states. In the process, it generates interpretable reports so doctors can understand what the analysis is based on.
“The explainable nature of the system is essential,” says Professor Carolien Bonroy, clinical biologist at Ghent University Hospital. “It will allow us to critically evaluate the results and integrate them responsibly into clinical decision-making. We look forward to applying it in practice.”
The technology was validated on nearly 1,000 patients from several European centres. The results show that the tool achieves high accuracy and is particularly sensitive in detecting severe abnormalities in T cells in the blood.
According to the researchers, the application is intended as a decision support tool. It should help doctors make diagnoses faster and prioritise urgent cases, without replacing their expertise. PIDgeon is not yet available for use in clinical practice.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO VIB / INE DEHANDSCHUTTER
Related news
