Scientist Profile Directory

It is estimated that 1 in 6 people will have a brain disorder in their lifetime. Many brain disorders, once thought to be untreatable, are now treatable thanks to advances in novel pharmacotherapeutics and innovative medical devices. One of the biggest limitations of modern medicine is that not all people benefit from treatment even if they have the same disease and symptoms. For example, lecanemab, the first FDA-approved anti-Alzheimer’s treatment, can slow the progression of the disease if administered at an early stage. This significant benefit must be weighed against the serious possible side effects such as brain bleeding and swelling. The difficult decision to administer lecanemab is compounded in that only a small fraction (<25%) of mildly impaired patients actually progress to dementia due to Alzheimer’s and there is currently no means to identify which patients that will be. In response to such challenges, Dr. Ko’s team is currently developing artificial intelligence (AI) programs that predict dementia progression due to different causes including Alzheimer’s disease. This program has the potential to benefit more than 7 million people annually who are at risk of developing dementia and help them to make informed decisions about their treatment.
The development of AI programs will aid in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment delivery for an array of brain disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and mental illness. In addition, Dr. Ko’s AI programs will revolutionize how non-invasive brain stimulation techniques are utilized in clinical practice. His team previously demonstrated that EEG (a technique that records brain activities)-guided electrical stimulation can suppress seizures in patients who are admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to uncontrolled seizures. This technology improved the ICU discharge rate from 37% to 90% at Winnipeg Health Science Centre. As the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair of Neuroimaging and Neuromodulation, Dr. Ko is developing novel neuroimaging-based prediction model using AI for better diagnosis and prognosis of different types of dementia and novel brain stimulation protocols aiming personalized treatment delivery for different neurological and psychiatric disorders. Dr. Ko’s work has the potential to revolutionize patient care in this interdisciplinary field of neurology, psychiatry, and biomedical engineering.