Photo: courtesy of Tel Aviv University

i24 News – Professor Illana Gozes from Israel’s Tel Aviv University, along with a team of University of Hong Kong researchers, jointly received the 2021 Healthy Longevity Catalyst Awards from the US National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for their work on Alzheimer’s disease.

Gozes collaborated with Professor Victor OK Li and Dr. Jacqueline CK Lam to create an artificial intelligence-led strategy which helps select drug candidates for new Alzheimer’s disease therapies.

The study shows how certain combinations of drug candidates respond to somatic gene mutations that accumulate as humans age.

“This is a great honor for me, and I am delighted that the international community sees fit to invest efforts in promoting solutions to diseases such as Alzheimer’s,” Gozes said, according to a university press release.

“I thank my colleagues from HKU-AI WiSe, the University of Hong Kong, led by Prof. Li and Dr. Lam, for our fruitful collaboration.”

Tel Aviv University is placing a greater emphasis on aging-related research, including the diseases which accompany the process of growing older.

Age-related diseases are expected to become a larger concern in the future, with demographic shifts projecting “graying populations” in countries around the world.

Globally, over 50 million people are estimated to have Alzheimer’s disease or another kind of dementia, the press release said.