Sunderland project using AI to help eye tests detect diabetes

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has committed funding to five new research hubs focused on developing health technologies for earlier disease detection. The BRAINIAC Hub, led by the University of Exeter, received £20 million to develop artificial intelligence and data systems aimed at preventing and detecting dementia. The funding consists of £10 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), with an additional £10 million contributed by industry, charity and NHS partners. The six-year project will establish ten brain health clinics across the UK, with the first expected to open in 2029. These clinics will combine brain imaging, genetics, blood biomarkers and digital cognitive tests into a single AI-driven assessment to identify early signs of dementia before symptoms appear. According to BBC reporting, the hub aims to make diagnosis 30 to 50 percent faster and identify over 40 percent of assessed individuals at early risk, potentially reducing the time to diagnosis and enabling earlier intervention. The project involves 11 universities and 10 NHS sites, and will train more than 200 clinicians and engineers while supporting 10 to 20 small companies in bringing new technologies into the NHS. Professor David Llewellyn, director of BRAINIAC and professor of clinical epidemiology at the University of Exeter Medical School, emphasized that detection remains the hardest problem in dementia care, noting that the tools developed will allow earlier identification and personalized prevention plans. Separately, BBC News reported on a Sunderland-based project using AI to analyze eye scans for early signs of diabetes, part of the broader UKRI-backed initiative to leverage artificial intelligence for earlier disease detection. UKRI has pledged up to £80 million across the five hubs to support diagnosing 92 percent of people referred with suspected dementia within 18 weeks by 2029. Professor Charlotte Deane, executive chair of EPSRC at UKRI, stated that these hubs build on previous successes, including the world's first AI-assisted brain tumour surgery, and will help people live healthier lives by preventing ill health before it starts. The Exeter hub joins other UKRI-funded projects, including a £12.2 million health technology hub launched by Science Minister and a £52 million investment across five research hubs developing health technologies, as reported by Bioengineer.org and Pharmafile.