Scottish firm behind platform capable of detecting Alzheimer's twice as fast than current tools

An Edinburgh health tech firm has launched a platform that can pinpoint risk genes linked to life-limiting diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s 98 per cent faster than traditional industry tools.

It is claimed, bioXcelerate’s new tool can cut processes that take days to minutes, allowing patients to access treatment sooner.

The tool could make a significant difference for thousands of people north of the border, with estimates showing around 60,000 suffer from Alzheimer’s and a further 13,000 of Parkinson’s.

It will be “vital” to accelerate drug discovery, and ease the pressure on researchers examining genetic datasets, Dr Chris Foley, chief executive of bioXcelerate claimed.

The firm was launched by parent company Optima Partners in 2023, in a bid to use health data and AI to speed up clinical breakthroughs.

Foley said: “There’s a lot of pressure on drug developers to arrive at effective treatments fast, but the wealth of genetic data they must analyse can be prohibitive.

“Untapping maximum latent value from data relies on everyone working from the same page, using the right best-in-class tools to extract relevant insights efficiently. Our new genetics platform recognises this and is designed to integrate seamlessly across R&D teams. Reducing the need to outsource disparate tools, it saves time and money while providing one accessible location to manage all datasets safely.”

The platform acts as a “one-stop-shop” where users can store, access and analys large troves of genetic data and is designed to accelerate drug discovery.

It is powered by a combination of the firm’s AI tools, including Pleiograph, which is capable of analysing data 100 times faster than existing methods.

Foley added: “The platform’s ability to process data within minutes enables organisations to uncover key correlations and gain a better understanding of where and why genetic illnesses develop. Harnessing these capabilities will be vital in allowing researchers to identify risk variants efficiently and create targeted life-improving treatments to tackle them.” 

The platform can carry out colocalisation analysis – the process of studying the spatial relationship between molecules or structures to uncover crucial correlations with disease development – in minutes rather than days.

Similarly, it slashes fine-mapping – the process of identifying exact genetic changes within ga broader region of the genome responsible for a disease - execution times from 15 days to less than five hours.