CorTechs Labs Enters Phase 2 of $1.15 Million NIH Grant to Automate the Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease

CorTechs Labs has announced the launch of the second phase of a project to use an automated positron-emission tomography (PET) image analysis tool to diagnose and predict the clinical progression of Alzheimer's with funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), reports Yahoo Finance . The NIH granted CorTechs Lab $1.15 million to develop the PETQuant method, which in its first phase focused on delivery protocols. The second phase will involve development of an automatic classification algorithm to separate persons with Alzheimer's from non-Alzheimer's controls, and evaluate its ability to predict disease risk in individuals. CorTechs Labs is creating normative values to identify PET scans that diverge from the typical population, which involves studying the level of cortical binding of amyloid agents so doctors can differentiate Alzheimer's from disorders with similar symptoms. "This work will not only deepen our understanding of the effects of Alzheimer's on the brain to aid in early, accurate diagnosis, but will also move PETQuant, a research-specific component of NeuroQuant that aids in the study of frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease, from a research tool to a clinical tool as we progress towards regulatory clearance in various jurisdictions," said CorTechs Labs CEO Chris Airriess.