Using medical records and AI to learn more about Alzheimer's and related dementias
Facilitate Observational Studies of Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias Using Ontology and Natural Language Processing
The project will build computer tools that read and organize doctors' notes and electronic health records to help spot patterns and risk factors for Alzheimer's and related dementias in older adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11319761 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project will create computer tools that can read my doctors' notes and medical records to pull out information about Alzheimer's and related dementias. The team will build a shared information model (an ontology) so terms like memory problems, cognitive tests, and diagnoses are recorded the same way across hospitals. They will use natural language processing to automatically extract and standardize relevant clinical details from electronic health records and then test the tools on real patient data. If the tools work, the team will share them so other researchers can use medical records more easily to study causes, risks, and potential treatments.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are older adults (typically 65+) with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias whose electronic health records are accessible to participating hospitals or researchers.
Not a fit: People without digital medical records, whose records lack clinical notes, or whose care is outside participating health systems may not see direct benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could speed up research by making it easier to use medical records to discover risk factors and find leads for better treatments for Alzheimer's and related dementias.
How similar studies have performed: NLP and EHR-phenotyping methods have shown promise in other conditions, but combining ontology-driven models specifically for Alzheimer's and related dementias at scale is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Xu, Hua — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Xu, Hua
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.